1 At the pre-wedding party, we played a drinking game: answer with “Of course” or take a shot. Savannah’s best friend Carter cornered her. “I’ve seen you naked a few times, right?” She laughed. “Of course.” She fired back. “You secretly want to sleep with me.” Carter grinned. “Of course!” Lost in their world, they volleyed back and forth. I sat in the corner, acid burning my throat. Then Carter turned to me. “Freebie, Savannah. In the next life, you’d still choose Michael.” Everyone knew the answer. Savannah went silent. She chugged her beer. Awkward glances swept the room. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” she forced a smile. “I just wanted a drink. Of course I’ll marry Michael.” Laughter resumed. Glasses clinked. I sat in the dim corner, eyes stinging. Savannah had lost, so it was Carter’s turn to ask me. He smirked, already knowing he’d won. “You’re not showing up to the wedding tomorrow, right?” My voice came out too calm. “Of course.” I won the game. But in this relationship, I had lost everything. … Carter raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Savannah, your little husband is super competitive.” The crowd immediately started teasing. “Savannah, the groom-to-be is speaking his absolute truth right now!” “You better coax him before tomorrow!” Savannah let out a dismissive scoff. “Coax my ass. It is just a stupid game.” What a great excuse. Just a game. The two of them used this game as a smokescreen to blatantly flirt, while I, her actual fiancé, sat beside her like a ghost. Carter lifted his chin at me. “Alright, your turn. Keep it going.” “You are in love with Savannah, right?” I forced myself to sound composed, but my chest felt completely suffocated. Carter offered a casual, indifferent smile. “Of course.” “Groom-to-be, your attacks are way too weak. Let me turn up the heat.” He leaned forward. “Last month when you were on your business trip, I helped Savannah relieve some tension. You don’t mind, do you?” My breathing completely stopped for a second. My fingers began to tremble. Carter casually threw an arm over Savannah’s shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “This girl was missing you like crazy, and she had nowhere to release it. As her bro, I just did her a solid. Gotta admit, Savannah has the absolute best body I have ever seen.” He reached out, pretending to slide his hand down her waist. Savannah intercepted his wrist, pulling him playfully into her chest. “Spill it. Whose else have you seen, huh?” “Please, since when does the kid boss the dad around?” Carter’s lips curled into a smirk. He was clearly waiting for me to break down. “Groom-to-be, if you can’t say ‘Of course,’ you have to drink.” I fought with everything I had to control my shaking voice. “Of course.” The playful wrestling between the two of them instantly stopped. Last month, I was out of the country for a massive project. I worked day and night, destroying my sleep schedule just to build a solid foundation for Savannah and my future. I never could have imagined that while I was working my life away across the ocean, she and her guy best friend were taking a sledgehammer to that exact future. I stared dead at Carter, pronouncing every word with crystal clarity. “You are just a homewrecker hiding behind the title of ‘best bro’, right?” The laughter and music in the private room abruptly died. Carter’s smug expression froze. He opened his mouth. Before the word could even leave his lips, Savannah clamped her hand over his mouth. She slammed her beer bottle onto the table and glared at me, her brows pulled into a tight knot. “Are you out of your damn mind?” “It is just a game! Why are you taking this so seriously?” The rest of the room immediately chimed in to back her up. “Yeah, man, don’t be so dramatic. They are strictly platonic. It is not as dirty as you are making it out to be.” I looked at them in absolute disbelief. “Taking it seriously?” “He brags about helping her relieve her needs, and when I call him a homewrecker, suddenly I am the one taking it too seriously?” Savannah’s tone dripped with suppressed irritation. “What homewrecker? He is my best friend. If anything were to actually happen between us, do you honestly think it would even be your turn?” Best friend. Always the best friend. The boiling resentment I had buried for months finally erupted. “I would rather it never be my turn!” “And just a minute ago, you would rather down an entire bottle of beer than give a fake ‘Of course’ to appease me. Are you not the one taking this seriously?” She pulled at her collar, looking incredibly annoyed. “I already told you I just wanted a drink.” “Besides, look at you acting like a hysterical mess right now. Who would ever want to choose you in the next life?” It felt like a gaping hole had been blasted through my chest, letting the freezing winter wind howl straight into my lungs. I swallowed hard and spoke. “He didn’t answer. He has to drink.” Carter shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Fair is fair. I will drink. But groom-to-be, once I finish this glass, you can’t hold a grudge against me anymore.” Savannah snatched the heavy glass right out of his hand. “You know you have a bad stomach. I will drink it.” She tipped her head back and drained the liquor in one gulp. She turned to look at me, her eyes hardened. “Michael, since you want to play, I will play to the very end for him.” “Listen closely. No matter what you ask me, I will say ‘Of course.’” Seven years. I knew this woman far too well. The tight clench of her jaw told me everything. She was waiting for me to do what I always did. Back down, apologize, and hand her a graceful way out. Ever since Carter entered the picture a year ago, everything between us had shattered. But because of the massive sunk cost of our seven year relationship, I kept retreating. Step by step. This time, I refused to take a single step back. This final question, carrying an answer I already knew, was the very last chance I was ever going to give her. I looked straight into her eyes and spoke slowly. “You don’t love me anymore, do you?” She froze for a fraction of a second. “Of course.” Dead silence swallowed the entire room. A sharp, abrupt laugh ripped out of my throat. She would rather use those three words to win a stupid drinking game than use a single glass of alcohol to save our relationship. I fought down the suffocating ache in my throat and pulled out my phone, sending a text to a specific contact. [I have a wedding fully prepped here. Do you want to get married?] The moment I received an affirmative reply, I turned around and walked straight toward the door. The second the words had left Savannah’s mouth, she knew she had messed up. Seeing me get up to leave, panic flashed across her face. She rushed forward and grabbed my arm. “Michael, where are you going?” “To the bridal boutique. To pick up my suit.” After all, I had a very different wedding waiting for me tomorrow. Hearing this, the tight knot between Savannah’s brows instantly smoothed out. She let out a very obvious sigh of relief. “I will drive you.” She paused, assuming I had compromised yet again. “Carter is coming too.” “What does he need to go for?” Carter pouted, feigning innocence. “Savannah, look at your man, always drowning in jealousy.” “I am obviously going to pick up the bridesmaid dresses for the girls.” The second the words left his mouth, he shoved past me, pulled open the passenger door of her car, and slid right in. He looked at me standing outside the window, pretending to just realize his mistake. “Oh damn, I am so used to sitting here.” He shook his head and patted Savannah’s hand as she shifted gears. “Your husband is going to call me a homewrecker again. I can’t handle the heat.” “Never mind, never mind. I will just sit in the back.” Savannah turned to look at me, letting out an impatient click of her tongue. She was just about to lecture me when I cut her off. “No need.” I walked straight to the back door and got in. Surprised by my sudden cooperation, Savannah glanced at me through the rearview mirror. She opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed whatever she was going to say. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but Savannah’s passenger seat no longer belonged exclusively to me. Just last week, Carter had a sudden craving for a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Savannah packed a bag and drove him without a second thought. Halfway there, he complained he was bored and didn’t want to go anymore. Savannah turned the car around and drove over a thousand miles back home just to appease him. Two days ago, during a massive torrential downpour, I waited for Savannah outside my office building for an entire hour. When I finally called her, I found out she had taken a detour to pick Carter up and completely forgot about me. Years ago, when we first bought this exact car, she hugged me tightly, spinning around in circles with her eyes full of pure adoration. “Michael, this is your exclusive throne. Nobody else is ever allowed to take it!” Yet right now, the car’s GPS navigation was using a custom voice pack recorded by Carter. The two of them were happily chatting away about inside jokes I couldn’t even begin to understand. I looked out the window at the streetlights blurring past in the dark. The very last flicker of hope in my heart quietly burned out in the confines of this cramped car. The moment we walked into the bridal boutique, Carter eagerly rushed forward, looking around in awe. “Damn, you guys have so many suit options here.” He stopped in front of a pristine tuxedo on a mannequin, letting out a dramatic gasp. “This one is gorgeous!” “Too bad your boy is strictly anti-marriage. I will never get the chance to wear something like this.” Savannah raised an eyebrow at him. “Then try it on now. Otherwise, you really will miss your chance.” Before I could even process what was happening, Savannah grabbed Carter by the shoulders and shoved him into a fitting room. A long time passed before he finally stepped out, acting coy and clutching the lapels of the suit. “Savannah, your husband’s taste is wild. This suit shows way too much chest.” “Let me see.” Savannah stepped right up to him, forcefully pulling his hands away from his chest. She openly and shamelessly dragged her eyes over his physique. “Who would have thought you were actually hiding some muscle under there?” “Shut up, you just don’t know how to wear it properly. Blaming my husband’s suit for being revealing.” With that, Savannah actually reached out, her hands running over his chest to adjust the fabric for him. Watching them act completely oblivious to my existence, a wave of profound absurdity washed over me. I had literally wasted seven years of my youth on this person. “Savannah, you accompanied me to my suit fittings three separate times. Do you seriously not remember that this is my wedding suit?” She turned around, a deep frown on her face. “Of course.” I completely froze. For a second, I couldn’t tell if she was still obnoxiously playing the ‘Of course’ game, or if she genuinely believed that forgetting her own groom’s wedding suit was perfectly normal. “You change your mind all the time. You kept swapping between different main suits. How am I supposed to remember?” “As long as you are the one wearing it tomorrow, who cares?” She rubbed her temples, looking thoroughly exhausted by my presence. “Is that right,” I said, my voice completely flat. “But he is wearing it right now.” “Carter, take it off.” I turned to look at the boutique clerk standing nearby. “This gentleman put on my custom wedding suit without permission. Please assist him in taking it off.” Savannah stared at me in shock for a moment before stepping aggressively in front of Carter to shield him. “Michael, when are you going to stop throwing these tantrums?” “Forget it, Savannah,” Carter rolled his eyes, reaching up to undo the bowtie. “Just listen to your husband. I will take it off.” Savannah slammed her hand over his to stop him. When she looked back at me, her eyes were burning with pure fury. She lowered her voice into a dangerous whisper. “Do you want to cancel the wedding tomorrow?!” I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “I think you are the one who doesn’t want to get married. Or maybe you want to marry this homewrecker instead?” The air in the room instantly evaporated. The clerk stood completely paralyzed, terrified to make a single sound. The color drained from Savannah’s face, replaced by a dark, stormy rage. She forced her words out through gritted teeth. “Say that again.” My entire body was shaking. Even my voice couldn’t stop trembling. “Did I say something wrong? You two act like a couple but hide behind the word ‘besties’. During that stupid game, when he asked if you would choose me in the next life, you would rather chug a bottle of beer than say yes.” “Enough!” Savannah violently kicked a heavy wooden stool. It smashed into a floor-to-length mirror, shattering the glass into a million pieces across the floor. Her voice spiked into a hysterical scream. “When the hell are you going to stop targeting him?!” “Next life? I am sick and tired of dealing with you in this life!” I stared at Savannah, completely unable to reconcile this furious monster with the sincere, loving girl I met seven years ago. After graduation, we started a business together. We crammed ourselves into a cheap, tiny studio apartment. During the hardest days, we had to split a single cup of instant ramen for dinner. I gave her every single penny of my savings without a second thought. I even pawned the only relic my deceased father left me, a jade pendant I had worn around my neck since childhood. Back then, I genuinely believed we would be together for the rest of our lives. When Savannah finally made it big, the very first thing she did was buy back that jade pendant and place it around my neck. She looked at me and said, “Michael, one lifetime is not nearly enough with you. Next life, and the life after that, we will always be together.” She had long forgotten the promises she made. She didn’t even want to spend the rest of this life with me anymore. Hot tears finally spilled over my eyelashes and smashed onto the floor. “Since it has come to this, let’s break up.” Seeing my face covered in tears, Savannah completely froze. She opened her mouth, seemingly just realizing the weight of the words she had screamed at me moments ago. “Michael…” Savannah panicked, violently slapping herself across the face. “I went too far. I am an absolute bastard.” “We are not breaking up. We are getting married tomorrow, okay?” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around me, but her clothes were entirely drenched in Carter’s cologne. My body stiffened. I shoved her away. Savannah stood there, completely lost on how to fix the damage. She instinctively turned around, hoping to call Carter over to smooth things out, only to find the discarded tuxedo lying in a heap on the floor. Carter was gone. Before she could process anything, her phone rang. It was one of her bridesmaids. Savannah hurriedly answered it. “Savannah, what is wrong with your guy?” “Carter is at the club wearing nothing but a tank top! He is chugging hard liquor, and we can’t stop him!” When she turned back to look at me, the brief flash of guilt in her eyes had already been completely swallowed by blame. “Look at what you did, Michael.” With that, she slammed the boutique door and rushed out into the night. At that exact moment, my heart turned to solid ice. A long time passed. The clerk finally approached me, her voice soft and hesitant. “Mr. Michael, are you… still going through with the wedding?” “Given the circumstances, our store can process a full refund for you.” “I am getting married.” Remembering a certain someone’s preference, I added quietly. “Change the entire suit. I want it in a light, soft color.” The clerk looked shocked. Gathering her courage, she tried to advise me. “Sir, all of us here think… that woman doesn’t deserve you at all. Are you absolutely sure you want to marry her?” I offered her a gentle smile, genuinely appreciating her kindness. “The wedding continues. But the bride is changing.” When I pushed open the door to my apartment, the overwhelming red wedding decorations hit me like a physical blow, making my eyes sting all over again. I grabbed a duffel bag and started packing my essentials, preparing to leave this place forever. My phone screen lit up. It was a message from Savannah. [Michael, Carter drank too much and was rushed to the hospital. I will be home a bit late.] At the exact same time, a notification popped up on the iPad resting on the sofa. She had forgotten to log out of her messaging app on the tablet. It was her private bridesmaid group chat. Carter had invited me to a group chat once. After a single “Welcome, groom-to-be”, the chat had been dead for a year. It turned out they had a completely separate, active group chat behind my back. He had just uploaded a flood of intimate photos and videos with Savannah. [Hey girls, the anti-marriage guy’s wedding trial run.] He was wearing my wedding suit. Savannah was wearing a tailored tuxedo. The background was the exact banquet hall booked for tomorrow’s wedding. I tapped on a video and watched it loop over and over again. It was a viral wedding dance trend on TikTok. A lot of couples were doing it. Months ago, I had begged Savannah to film it with me, but she flat out refused, claiming it was too embarrassing. Yet in this video, Savannah was looking at Carter with absolute, undeniable adoration, performing the exaggerated dance moves with clumsy, enthusiastic effort. The group chat instantly exploded. [Michael hasn’t even walked the red carpet yet, and our boy Carter beat him to it! Hahaha! Michael is going to die of anger!] [Carter looks so good in that suit. Unlike a certain someone who looks like a total stick insect.] [You two are just the perfect match. Savannah, maybe you should just swap grooms tomorrow.] Suddenly, a knock echoed from the front door. “Mr. Michael, a flower delivery for you.” It was a massive bouquet of chamomile flowers. Every single time Savannah messed up, she would send me a bouquet to apologize. But Carter was the one who loved chamomile. I was severely allergic to it. I had told her this countless times, but she simply refused to remember. The group chat was still buzzing rapidly. [The hotel rooms are right upstairs from the banquet hall. You two aren’t going to…] Savannah finally replied. [Stop it, guys. Two separate rooms. He is drunk.] [Savannah is so devoted to her man. She can resist any temptation.] Staring at the screen, my face was entirely devoid of emotion. I just felt an agonizing pity for my last seven years. Pity for the younger version of me who had fed his youth to the dogs. In the past, I would have silently accepted the flowers, suppressing my severe allergic reactions just to accept her apology. Just as I was about to drop the entire bouquet into the trash can, my phone rang. It was Savannah. “Michael.” Her voice carried a hint of desperate pleading. “I bought you some flowers. About what happened today, I am so sorry.” She paused. When I didn’t respond, she continued. “Michael, Carter is unconscious in the hospital. I have to stay here and watch over him.” “I will come pick you up bright and early tomorrow for the hotel, okay?” It was almost laughable. Such a pathetic, amateur lie. “No need. I will get there myself.” My voice was calm and steady. The line went completely quiet. Savannah clearly hadn’t expected me to answer so decisively. She vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Her tone filled with unease. “Michael, you are still coming to the wedding, right?” I replied with a perfectly flat tone. “Of course.” Savannah, you were the one who said we were playing the ‘Of course’ game to the very end. I hung up the phone and immediately dialed the wedding planner. “Hi. I need to completely change the content displayed on the main screens tomorrow.” “And I need you to put a specific slideshow on a constant loop.”

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1 On the final day of our graduation trip, a freak heatwave struck Death Valley. I ended up with severe heat exhaustion, but my girlfriend gave our only bottle of electrolyte water to her male best friend. “You’re fit, Connor. You know wilderness first aid. Just drink some regular water and walk it off.” “But Ollie is different. He’s always had a weak constitution. If he doesn’t get these electrolytes, he could pass out.” My head was spinning so violently I could barely keep my eyes open. Arguing was out of the question, so I turned to our other teammates for help. They just rolled their eyes at me. “Bro, isn’t this jealousy thing going a bit far?” “Jane is just taking care of the sick guy. You’re a grown man. Stop acting like you’re on your deathbed.” As the group packed up to keep moving, Jane looked down at me with a deep frown. “Do you seriously have to ruin the vibe right now?” “Fine. You stay right here and think about your attitude. Whenever you realize how childish you’re being, you can catch up.” What she didn’t know was that my body had already stopped sweating. I was showing all the classic signs of a fatal heatstroke. She also didn’t know that the moment she walked away, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind. [Critical condition detected. Host’s vitals are failing. Initiate world transfer?] I peacefully closed my eyes. “I accept.” … “Connor, haven’t you thrown enough of a tantrum?” “Ollie feels so guilty about you giving him attitude that he’s too scared to even take a sip of water.” “You play basketball for hours on end. You sit by the lake fishing in the dead of summer without a single complaint. What exactly are you faking right now?” “You just had to pretend to be weak to make the whole team feel bad, didn’t you?” I had no idea how much time had passed. Jane’s impatient voice crackled through the walkie talkie attached to my backpack. Immediately after, Oliver’s guilt ridden voice chimed in. “Jane, please don’t be mad at him.” “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken that electrolyte water.” “Connor is definitely furious with me. Maybe I should walk back and give him the rest of the bottle.” Jane’s tone instantly softened. “Don’t be ridiculous.” “The blister on your heel is already popping. If you walk all the way back, it could get infected. Then what?” “He’s just taking advantage of my good temper to play the victim.” “Ignore him. Once he gets bored of this little stunt, he’ll crawl right back to us.” The other teammates started chiming in on the frequency. “Exactly, Ollie. Why do you even care?” “Connor is just spoiled by Jane. He acts like he owns her, throwing a fit over every little thing.” “We’re all getting roasted alive out here. Nobody has time for his pity party.” “A grown man sitting in the dirt playing dead for his girlfriend’s attention. It’s honestly embarrassing.” I desperately wanted to drag my body over to my backpack, grab the radio, and tell them I wasn’t faking. But my muscles were completely paralyzed. I couldn’t move an inch. The chatter on the radio continued. The mechanical voice in my head spoke again. [Transfer sequence confirmed. World jump countdown initialized. Thirty minutes remaining.] At that exact moment, a chorus of cheers erupted from the walkie talkie. “A truck! It’s a Ranger truck!” “Thank God! We don’t have to walk anymore!” A rough, unfamiliar man’s voice came through the speaker. “You guys the Apex Explorers?” “Did anyone bother checking the forecast? Ground temperature is pushing a hundred and thirty degrees today. Are you all crazy walking into the basin?” Jane’s voice was perfectly polite. “I am so sorry, Officer. We misjudged the weather.” “One of my guys injured his foot and has mild heatstroke. Could you please give him a ride back to the base camp?” I heard the sound of a clipboard flipping. “Getting him in the truck is no problem.” “But your permit lists eight people. I only see seven of you here.” “Where is your eighth member?” For a split second, I thought I was finally going to be saved. Then I heard Jane’s calm, steady voice echo through the speaker. “Oh, that member.” “He had a family emergency and had to hike out early. It’s just the seven of us now.” The rest of the team stayed totally silent, covering for her lie. The Ranger didn’t suspect a thing. “Alright. Let’s get the injured guy in the cab. We’ve got max AC and ice water in there.” “The rest of you need to stop pushing it. Follow the main trail back immediately.” Just as despair swallowed me whole, Jane’s voice dropped to a harsh whisper on the radio. “Connor, I know you can hear me.” “The Ranger truck only has two empty seats. Ollie’s foot is hurt and he needs the medic tent. Every minute we wait for you is another minute he risks infection.” “Don’t you dare press that button and embarrass us right now.” “Walk back to camp slowly. Tonight, I’ll take you to get that BBQ ribs you love.” The hundred and thirty degree heat mercilessly baked the earth. The sound of the truck engine faded into the distance. I could hear everything happening inside the cab with agonizing clarity. “Whoa, this AC is freezing.” “Jane, I’m actually a little cold.” The rustling of fabric came through the speaker. Jane’s voice was dripping with affection. “Here, put my windbreaker on. We don’t want you catching a cold.” “Take slow sips of that ice water to cool down. Don’t choke.” I was out here being roasted alive by the desert sun. Meanwhile, her male best friend was sipping ice water, completely wrapped in her tender care. The sheer betrayal sparked a final surge of adrenaline. I used every ounce of my remaining strength to drag my body toward the backpack. Oliver’s voice filtered through again. “Jane, is Connor really going to be okay out there all alone?” “The sun is brutal today, and he doesn’t even have a drop of electrolytes.” Jane let out a light laugh. She couldn’t have sounded more dismissive. “What could possibly happen to him?” “He still has half a bottle of regular water in his bag. Plus, he practically lives at the gym. His stamina is way better than yours.” “Knowing him, he’s probably hiding in the shade behind some dune, waiting for me to drive back and beg him to come with us.” “I absolutely refuse to humor his toxic behavior.” The teammates trekking behind the truck chimed in to agree. “Ollie, stop worrying about that jealous freak.” “He’s just mad that our boss treats you well. He’s trying to make everyone miserable.” “Imagine threatening to break up and faking an illness just to scare your girl. What a loser.” “Once he gets thirsty and hungry enough, he’ll come crawling back with his tail between his legs.” My trembling fingers finally brushed against the backpack. With the absolute last sliver of life I possessed, I pressed the talk button. “Help…” The chatter on the other end instantly died. Ten full seconds of agonizing silence passed. Then, Jane’s voice came through, colder than ice. “Connor, your tactics for getting attention are getting pathetic.” “This is the Apex Explorers’ public channel. It’s for emergencies, not a toy for your jealous tantrums!” Oliver whispered softly in the background. “Jane, he really sounds like he’s in pain. Maybe we should ask the Ranger to turn around?” Jane scoffed with pure disgust. “Turn around for what?” “The blister on your foot is about to burst. Every second matters before it gets infected.” “He’s a guy with a wilderness survival certificate! Does he lack basic common sense?” “Connor, listen to what you are doing!” “Ollie is hurt, and you’re out there throwing a fit over your own fragile ego!” “If you dare clog up this channel one more time, I am kicking you off this team permanently!” Before I could even breathe, a sharp beep echoed. She had manually booted my frequency from the channel. My last chance at survival evaporated into the scorching air. The mechanical voice in my head chimed in. [Countdown complete.] [Host vitals have reached zero.] [Soul detachment sequence initiated.] [Lingering emotional tether detected. Activating spectator mode.] When my consciousness returned, my soul was floating weightlessly in the air. Guided by instinct, I drifted miles away, straight to the base camp clinic. Jane was carefully helping Oliver out of the truck, supporting his weight as they walked into the medical tent. “Doctor! Please, you need to look at his foot!” The old army medic stationed at the camp adjusted his reading glasses. He grabbed an iodine swab and leaned in close. He stared at it for a long time, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. “A blister?” “The edges aren’t even red. The skin hasn’t even broken. You called in an emergency Ranger evac for a blister?” Jane stepped protectively in front of Oliver. She looked dead serious. “Doctor, he has a very weak constitution.” “Out in the desert, bacteria is everywhere. If this gets infected and leads to sepsis, it’s a massive issue.” “Please use your best antibiotics on him. I’ll cover whatever it costs.” The old medic shook his head in sheer disbelief. He tossed a standard band aid onto the table. “Just stick this on it. Keep it dry.” The medic walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He glanced out the window, his face grim. “The heat out there is wicked today. Ground temps hit a hundred and forty an hour ago.” “Are you absolutely certain nobody else from your group is still out there?” “In this kind of weather, a man left outside for two hours wouldn’t even be saved by God himself.” Jane walked over to the water cooler and poured a cup of ice water. She carefully tested the temperature against her wrist before handing it to Oliver. Her tone was incredibly firm. No hesitation at all. “No one is out there.” “The guy who left early runs marathons every month. He’s built like a tank.” “Right now, he’s probably sitting in a five star hotel back in the city, soaking in a bathtub with the AC on full blast.” The rest of the team pushed open the tent flaps just in time to hear her. They immediately joined in on the mockery. “Exactly. Connor is way too smart to actually suffer.” “He just wanted to play dead to see the boss panic.” “Too bad she didn’t fall for it. I bet he’s ordering a cold beer at the bar right now.” Oliver sat on the edge of the cot. He bit his lip, looking the picture of innocence. “I wonder if Connor kept his radio on. I’m worried he can’t reach us.” Jane patted his shoulder comfortingly. “His radio is right in his bag. Stop worrying about him.” “Once he realizes no one is playing his game, he’ll come back and apologize on his own.” She turned to the rest of the crew, falling right back into her leader persona. “Ollie went through a huge shock today. He gets the only room with air conditioning tonight.” “The rest of you, bust out the camping stoves. We’re having a feast tonight to celebrate surviving the trek.” I drifted near the ceiling of the medical tent. I watched them laughing. I watched them erase my existence completely. The sun finally dipped below the horizon. A massive bonfire crackled to life in the center of the camp. Oliver pulled out his phone and snapped a candid picture of Jane cooking over the flames. Floating above him, I clearly saw the post he uploaded to Instagram. [Some people try to prove their importance by walking away.] [What they don’t realize is that the people who truly care will worry over your smallest frown.] [Blessed to have you. Desert survival trip is a success.] Within a minute, a string of likes and comments flooded the post. It was every single member of the Apex Explorers. “You and Jane are seriously soulmates!” “That toxic jealous boyfriend doesn’t deserve a woman as amazing as her.” “Someone is probably scrolling through this from his hotel room, punching the air right now, LMAO.” Jane walked over holding a plate of grilled ribs. She checked her smartwatch, her eyebrows knitting together. “Has Connor messaged the group chat yet?” Jax didn’t even look up from his food. “Nope. Not even a single emoji.” “Just drop it, boss. He’s probably sitting at that gas station on the edge of the highway, waiting for you to cave and pick him up.” “What a drama queen. It’s been hours, you’d think he’d be hungry by now.” Jane shoved the plate of ribs into Oliver’s hands and pulled her car keys out of her pocket. “I am not letting him get away with this.” “Everyone except Ollie, get in the SUV. We’re driving out to get him.” The crew groaned, looking thoroughly annoyed. “Why are we babying him? Let him learn his lesson.” Jane let out a sharp, cold laugh. “I’m bringing you guys so he can apologize to every single one of you, face to face.” “This team isn’t his personal playground for his temper tantrums.” “He wasted all of our time today. He needs to own up to it.” Oliver immediately stood up. “I’m coming too.” “I know Connor crossed the line, but he’s still my bro. When you guys lay into him later, I need to be there to run interference.” After soaking in another wave of praise for his endless kindness, Oliver climbed into the passenger seat. I followed their SUV as it drove straight back toward my corpse. Half an hour later, the headlights swept across the exact sand dune where they had abandoned me. Inside the car, the annoyed chatter instantly died. Jax pointed a trembling finger at the windshield. “Boss… that guy…” Jane followed his gaze and saw my grotesquely twisted body lying in the dirt. Her pupils shrank. She practically fell out of the car, sprinting toward the sand. “Connor!”

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My seven-year-old brother wrote a bucket list. Every time he got admitted to the hospital, he added another line to it. He wanted my childhood sweetheart, Ben, and me to take him to the amusement park. He wanted us to eat ice cream together. He wanted us to build sandcastles on the beach. Every single wish revolved around me. But when I read the very last line on that list, it hit me like a ton of bricks. He wished for Ben and me to break up. I didn’t take it seriously at first. I just brushed it off as my little brother’s overprotective gene kicking in. I even thought it was cute enough to share with Ben as a joke. “Someone wants me to dump you. What do you think about that?” Ben stayed dead silent for a long moment. Then, he decided to confess everything. “Don’t listen to whatever your best friend is feeding you. Even if she goes through with the pregnancy, I am not breaking up with you to be with her.” “But you have to promise me one thing. Don’t go making a scene with Chloe. She’s pregnant and her morning sickness is brutal right now. If you go after her, I’ll pull the plug on finding that specialist for your brother.” In a split second, the bucket list hidden behind my back was crumpled tight in my trembling fist. “…Fine. I promise.” “But you have to promise me you’ll help finish my brother’s bucket list.” 1 Hearing my condition, Ben didn’t agree right away. A flash of knowing exhaustion crossed his eyes. “Are you mad? I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but this is Chloe’s first baby. I have to be extremely careful. I’ll get the doctor sorted out for your brother. But I might not have as much time to spend with you lately. I’m sorry you have to deal with this, babe.” Saying that, Ben gently wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. He had done this exact move a thousand times before. I didn’t even have to think to know what he was going to do next. He would slowly nuzzle his cheek against mine. It was our secret little way of apologizing and making things right. But this time, I flinched away. I needed to cut the cord cleanly. “How long have you two been together? Five months? Eight months? A whole year? We’ve only known her for eighteen months total. Do not sit there and tell me it was love at first sight.” My voice was incredibly soft. So quiet that even I couldn’t hear the heartbreak in it. But Ben immediately got defensive and let go of me. “Can you really not give me the absolute bare minimum of trust? It happened exactly one time, three months ago. That’s when she got pregnant. What do you want me to say? Do you want the whole play-by-play of how we hung out, how I took her clothes off, and how she got knocked up?” “Besides, if you could actually have kids, do you really think I’d let her keep it?” My eyes widened in sheer disbelief. “Why can’t I have kids? Do you honestly not know?” Fourteen years ago, Ben’s parents’ business went under. Loan sharks showed up at his house. One of them grabbed Ben by the collar, holding a switchblade to his throat, demanding money from his parents. Except they grabbed the wrong kid. They grabbed me, thinking I was their daughter. I was thirteen. I didn’t say a word because I was terrified Ben would get hurt. I took the blade to the stomach for him. And now, at twenty-seven, Ben just blurted it out like it was nothing. “You volunteered for that. I didn’t ask you to do it. You can’t just keep bringing up ancient history every time you want to win an argument.” He glared at me, his brow heavily furrowed. It felt like I was truly seeing him for the very first time. The Ben in my memory was a ten-year-old boy bravely standing in front of the school bullies, promising to protect me. He was a thirteen-year-old crying his eyes out, swearing he would take care of me forever. He was a twenty-year-old holding my hands on a snowy mountain, wishing for nothing but my happiness. He was not this stranger who betrayed me and then tried to gaslight me with “logic” just to save his own skin. My grip on the crumpled piece of paper tightened until my knuckles turned white. “You’re right. I made a huge mistake back then. I shouldn’t have played the hero and saved your life. Being infertile is just my karma.” I thought agreeing with him would end it, but his face just twisted into something uglier. “Here we go again. You’re starting up again. Look at yourself. You’re acting completely psychotic right now. What is the difference between you and a screaming banshee?” “Send me the parts of the list that involve me. I’ll show up when I can. I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with your tantrums today. Chloe has an ultrasound appointment. Figure your own mess out.” With that, Ben snatched his jacket off the couch and stormed out, leaving me completely alone in the dead quiet of the apartment. I picked up my phone and dialed a number I had saved months ago. “That pediatric specialist in Boston… is the offer to consult still on the table?” 2 The voice on the other end sounded a bit surprised. “I mean, yes. But didn’t you say you booked a top tier doctor locally and the dates clashed?” That local doctor was the one Ben had used all of his family connections to secure. It used to be his ultimate proof of how much he loved me. Now, it was just the leash he used to keep me trapped. He assumed that since my job and my life were rooted here, I didn’t have the means to drag my sick brother across the country to find a doctor. He thought I had no choice but to rely on him. I forced a bitter smile and dodged the real issue. “It didn’t work out. I’m flying him out for a consultation this week.” As for why it didn’t work out, I kept my mouth shut. I packed my suitcases and got ready to walk out of that apartment for good. But the second I opened the front door, I was face to face with Chloe. Her eyes were rimmed red with tears. She grabbed my hands with a desperate grip, drowning me in endless apologies. “I am so, so sorry. I swear I never wanted to steal your boyfriend. I just looked up to you so much. If I get on my knees right now, will you please forgive me? You are my absolute best friend. We promised to be bridesmaids at each other’s weddings!” Dangling from her wrist was the good luck charm I bought for her. I had prayed over that charm at a snowy mountain shrine. She had hugged me, crying, saying how blessed she was to have met me. And in the blink of an eye, she was holding Ben’s hand, stabbing me right in the back. Ben stepped out of the elevator, his eyes filled with agonizing pity for her. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He glared at me. “Apologize to Chloe right now. Do you have any idea how long she’s been crying because you wouldn’t answer her calls? Pregnant women cannot handle massive emotional distress! Even if you don’t care, you have a mother. You should know better!” My head snapped up in sheer shock. It took me a full minute to even find my voice. “I don’t have one anymore. My parents died in a car crash a year ago. Did you somehow forget?” Ben’s brow furrowed, instantly trying to backpedal. “Don’t twist my words, sweetie. You know I didn’t mean…” But I didn’t acknowledge him. I ripped my hands away, grabbing Chloe’s wrist and pressing down hard on the good luck charm she wore. “And did you forget too? You looked up to me? You want my life? Well, I wish you the exact same life I have. Dead parents, totally betrayed by the person you love the most. Oh, right, you don’t have a little brother. So I hope that baby in your stomach ends up exactly like my brother.” Slap! Before I even registered the burning sting on my cheek, my heart completely shattered. Ben’s palm was bright red. A flash of instant regret crossed his eyes. But Chloe shrieked, completely dropping the innocent act. “Are you out of your mind?! This is my baby! And one day it’s going to be your baby too! What the hell do you get out of cursing an unborn child?!” I kept my head down. My eyes locked onto the shiny leather shoes on Chloe’s feet. Chloe and I met in college. We were roommates. She moved here from a tiny rural town. She was terrified of her own shadow and had zero friends. So I became her lifeline. When we graduated, I paid the deposit on her apartment. When guys harassed her, I fought them off. I even bought those exact shiny shoes for her first job interview, because her parents refused to spend a dime on a girl. And now, the reflection on those polished shoes just showed me how utterly pathetic I was. Ben had money. He treated her better than he ever treated me. He would make sure she never went without. I wanted to let it all go. But my shoulders were wound so tight they were shaking. I was desperately trying to convince myself that this cold, uncaring act was just me saving face. “That is not my child. It shares zero DNA with me. And we are not a package deal. Did you forget? We aren’t even married.” “Not married?” Ben practically laughed in my face, like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “Look at the state your brother is in. Can you really afford to walk away from me right now?” Ben had said something eerily similar at my parents’ funeral. He had held my shaking hands and said, “You still have me. I will be right by your side. Since they are gone, it’s my turn to take care of you. As long as you need me, I will never leave.” The vows that were supposed to protect me had morphed into the chains forcing me to swallow his betrayal. I grabbed the handle of my suitcase. Chloe lunged forward to stop me, but Ben pulled her back. “Let her go. Let her throw her little tantrum. Your only job right now is to take care of yourself. Don’t waste your energy getting mad over people who aren’t worth it.” Not worth it. That was the perfect summary of my twenty-seven years on this earth. The scar on my abdomen, silent for over a decade, suddenly flared with a blinding, throbbing pain. 3 The amusement park was my brother’s idea. Ben dragged Chloe along. Chloe was holding an action figure my brother loved, crouching in front of him, desperately trying to win him over. But my brother wasn’t excited at all. He just gripped my hand tightly and refused to let go. Ben frowned. Right as he opened his mouth to scold him, Chloe let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed onto the pavement. Before I could even process what happened, Ben lunged forward and violently shoved my seven-year-old brother to the ground. I dove on instinct, shielding my brother’s body. My arm scraped brutally against the rough concrete, tearing off a massive layer of skin. Chloe clutched her stomach, looking absolutely devastated. “I know you hate me! I get it! I know I wronged you! But my baby is completely innocent! Why would you teach your brother to pinch my stomach?!” Her crying was loud enough that a crowd of people at the amusement park started turning their heads, forming a circle around us. Ben’s face was completely black with rage. He screamed at the top of his lungs. “Are you insane?! Chloe was nice enough to care about your feelings! She literally begged me to come help your brother finish his stupid bucket list! And this is how you repay her?! Are you not going to be happy until you force her to have a miscarriage?!” Ben and Chloe looked like a distressed married couple. To the crowd, I was instantly labeled as the psychotic mistress. People pointed fingers, whispering viciously. A few even pulled out their phones, recording the drama for TikTok. But I tuned all of them out. I stared intensely at my brother’s unfocused eyes. I patted his pale cheek, calling his name in a panicked whisper. “Look at me! Wake up! Please, wake up!” Ben hated that I was ignoring him. He grabbed my bleeding arm, refusing to let it go. But when he saw the blood pouring down my skin, he froze for a second. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. A horrific scream tore from my throat as tears flooded my face. “He has leukemia! He has severe leukemia! How could you shove him like that?! If anything happens to him, what am I supposed to do?!” Chloe muttered under her breath. “Does she think we’re stupid? He passes out the second he gets caught doing something bad? Ben barely touched him. They’re just faking it so we don’t press charges.” Then, she acted like she realized she said that out loud. She clamped a hand over her mouth, looking terrified. And Ben actually bought it. He completely stopped believing me. This was the same man who confessed his love to me under the fireworks, swearing his devotion. He had said, “I will be your rock forever. Just give me one chance, and I will never let you down.” But right now, he stared down at me with absolute zero empathy. He even blocked a bystander from coming over to help. “Don’t encourage them. The kid is throwing a tantrum and the sister enables it. Let him bake in the sun for a few minutes. When he gets uncomfortable enough, he’ll magically wake up.” My hands were shaking violently as I dialed 911. Right on cue, Chloe clutched her stomach and started wailing in pain. Her eyes brimmed with fresh tears. “It’s from the fall! I swear I feel something leaking down there! Ben, I’m so scared!” Panic completely took over Ben’s face. He scooped Chloe up in his arms and sprinted straight into the back of the ambulance the second it arrived. He totally forgot I was still kneeling on the pavement holding my unconscious brother. The paramedic looked torn, but the bystanders immediately started chiming in. “Just go! The kid is faking it to avoid getting grounded. That pregnant lady just took a nasty fall. You need to get her to the ER!” “The sister spoils him rotten. They’re just wasting emergency resources. That kid is going to grow up to be a total menace.” I begged them to stop, but my voice was completely drowned out by the angry mob. The ambulance doors slammed shut, leaving my brother and me entirely alone in the dust. Thankfully, a girl passing by couldn’t stand watching it anymore. She practically threw us into the back of her car and sped all the way to the ER. My brother was barely saved in time. The on-call doctor took one look at his chart and immediately ordered him into the trauma bay. “Leukemia patients have zero immune system and cannot sustain trauma! Do you not know this as his guardian?! His baseline was already critically low!” Staring at the glowing red ‘IN SURGERY’ sign above the doors, I finally broke down, sobbing quietly into my hands. A year ago, my parents were wheeled through those exact same doors. And they never came out. Ben always called me dramatic and immature. But what exactly did I do wrong? My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Chloe. It was a picture of Ben, asleep with his head resting near her hospital bed. “You were right. I don’t need to want your life. I’ve already taken your man. Do you want to know exactly when we got together? The night your parents died in that car crash.” I stared at the glowing screen. I stopped crying. I stopped breathing. Chloe’s messages kept rolling in. “Ben told me you’d lock yourself in your bedroom. He said you’d refuse to talk to anyone or see anyone. He said it was the absolute safest time.” “And he was right. The next morning, you saw the stains on his bedsheets. He made up some excuse about not having time to do laundry. And you were so blinded by grief you just assumed it was from you guys messing around before.” Twenty-seven years together. Ben truly knew me inside and out. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Ben appeared, panting heavily. “The doctor just called me. What the hell did you guys do after we left? Why is he in emergency surgery?!” I looked up from my phone, staring at him. He looked exactly like he did the night he rushed to the hospital after my parents crashed. He looked so panicked. And the second his eyes landed on my tear-stained face, that familiar, long-lost heartbreak washed over him again. “We were just finishing his bucket list.” My voice was hollow. It was lighter than air. And we would have finished it. If Chloe hadn’t maliciously framed my brother. If Ben hadn’t shoved him to the concrete. Ben didn’t understand what I meant. He just sat heavily beside me, gently picking up my arm that was still crusted with dried blood and dirt. “You were in the wrong today. Don’t try to blur the lines just because your brother got sick. I’ll let you vent today, but when we get back, you are apologizing to Chloe.” I didn’t argue. I just kept talking, completely disconnected from whatever reality he was living in. “Do you know what the very last wish on his list is?” Ben let out an exhausted sigh. He softened his tone, realizing he just had to humor me. “What is it?” That tone. It was so painfully familiar. It was the exact tone he used when he asked me to be his girlfriend at eighteen. The amusement park fireworks exploded in the distance, casting brief flashes of light against the sterile hospital walls. I stared dead into his eyes. I didn’t even have the energy to fake a smile anymore. “He wants us to break up.”

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1 On our wedding day, the bridal party played Truth or Dare for the door-crashing ceremony. Rick smirked as he admitted his dare. “Cici, I leaked those private photos of you. When Mia’s were exposed, my parents and I had to protect her. Making you take the fall was the only way.” The room erupted. My mother stepped forward. “Mia has suffered. You need to accommodate her. Even if we tricked you, no real harm was done, right?” Rick knelt before me. “Now that you’re married, your wish came true. Do me a favor—don’t come looking for me anymore.” My fingers turned ice cold. “Rick, what do you mean?” He tapped my nose, gentle but looking at me like I was delusional. “Mia and I already got our license. I’m only doing this wedding so you get the aisle experience. Our actual wedding is tonight. In this same ballroom.” Confetti cannons exploded, ringing like sirens. Every bridal party member wore a mocking smile. Everyone knew but me. Rick held up my wedding heels. “Cici, it’s completely up to you whether you want to finish this ceremony or not.” … It felt like someone had wrapped their hands around my throat. I couldn’t force a single word out. My father stood off to the side, looking annoyed. “Why are you just standing there? Stop wasting everyone’s time. Mia is waiting for us at the photo spot.” “The faster you finish this up, the less time she has to wait, and the less sun she has to deal with.” My mother smacked my father’s arm, adding a comment that made my heart physically ache. “Why are you stating the obvious? Mia burns easily, which is exactly why her wedding is scheduled for tonight.” “Since the lighting is good right now, let’s just use Cici to figure out the best camera angles.” Hearing that name tossed around over and over, my fingers dug viciously into the tulle of my wedding dress. Fifteen years ago, Mia’s mother saved my mother’s life. When her mother passed away, my parents took Mia into our home. From that exact day forward, “You must be grateful” became the only phrase they ever said to me. So the pretty dresses I loved? Given to Mia. The cookies my grandmother baked specifically for me? Given to Mia. I accommodated her for so long that my parents completely stopped seeing me as their actual daughter. And now, I was supposed to give up my fiancé, too. “I’m so sorry, I’m late.” Mia’s voice shattered my memories. She was wearing a standard, simple bridesmaid dress. But the moment she walked in, every single eye in the room locked onto her. My mother immediately rushed over to dab the sweat off Mia’s forehead. “Mia, sweetie, didn’t I tell you to rest at home? Why did you come all the way here?” Mia put on her best innocent, accommodating smile. “Cici is my sister. Today is her big day. How could I miss it?” Rick practically sprinted across the room, gently hovering his hands over her shoulders. “Are you nervous?” “You still haven’t kicked that habit of pushing yourself when you’re anxious, have you?” Mia glanced up at him with a soft laugh. “You always know me best. I am a little nervous, so I wanted to come down early and watch the rehearsals.” A bitter, agonizing acidity rose in my chest. I gritted my teeth and violently kicked off the wedding heels I had just put on. I wanted to ruin everything for her. “I’m not getting married.” Standing barefoot on the floor, I turned around and marched toward the door. But Rick shot a look at his groomsmen, and they instantly blocked my path. “Since Mia came all this way to see a full wedding rehearsal, you are going to finish this ceremony today.” I froze in my tracks. A sharp, freezing pain shot down my spine. I had reached a point where I didn’t even have the fundamental right to cancel my own wedding. My father stomped over, jabbing his finger hard against my forehead. “Can you stop being such a brat? There are so many friends and family out there. Do you have no shame?” “As the younger sister, it is your job to accommodate her.” Those words slammed directly into the most fragile part of my heart. Mia and I were never related. Why was it my absolute obligation to treat her like royalty? I stared dead into my father’s eyes. My voice was shaking uncontrollably. “Dad, I just want to ask you one thing. Between me and Mia, who is your actual daughter?” Hearing that, tears instantly welled up in Mia’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Cici, please don’t misunderstand! I never, ever wanted to steal your parents from you.” “I… I just love you all like my real family…” Rick immediately pulled her behind him, glaring at me with pure disgust. “Are you done throwing your tantrum?! Stop holding everyone up.” “Rick, who exactly is…” Before I could even finish my sentence, he grabbed my wrist and aggressively dragged me out of the hotel. My bare feet scraped against the rough pavement. Every step felt like I was walking on broken glass. But Rick didn’t notice, or didn’t care. His grip on my wrist was like a vice. My parents hurried behind us, their entire focus locked onto Mia. “Mia, watch your step. Don’t trip over your dress.” “Cici is just stubborn and petty. Don’t let her attitude ruin your mood.” Looking at this sick, twisted farce of a wedding, I felt completely dead inside. I pulled out my phone with my free hand and replied to the email from the overseas corporate branch. “I accept the offer. I will arrive for onboarding next Monday.” Since this family had completely erased my existence the day Mia moved in. I would just erase myself from their world for good. When we finally reached the outdoor photography spot. I realized something sickening. The massive welcome sign that was supposed to have my and Rick’s faces on it. It was replaced with a gorgeous portrait of him and Mia. Months ago, he spent hours testing out every possible lighting angle at this exact spot. Even this morning, he told me he wanted me to be the most beautiful bride on earth. Now the truth was agonizingly clear. All that gentle devotion was just a front to make sure everything was perfect for Mia. “Stand exactly here and don’t move.” “When Mia is satisfied with the shots, you can leave.” He shoved me onto the designated spot. He was as cold as if I were a literal mannequin. The harsh midday sun beat down relentlessly, blinding my eyes. I had suffered from extreme light sensitivity since I was a child. Whenever I brought it up to my parents, they would just brush it off. “It’s just a minor issue. Stop being so dramatic.” When I started dating Rick, he would always pull a sun hat over my head before we went outside. He would instinctively raise his hand to block the glare from my eyes. But right now, he was standing a few feet away, holding a professional camera right in Mia’s face. “Mia, how does this angle look? Do you like the framing?” Mia glanced at the digital screen. “Rick, you are so talented!” “But… the lighting is a bit…” As they talked, I tried to step back into the shade. Rick immediately snapped at me. “We need to shoot exactly one hundred photos for Mia today. We haven’t even finished the first batch.” “Cici, suck it up and stay on your mark.” My mother stomped over, yanking me roughly back onto the scorching concrete. She muttered viciously under her breath. “If Mia doesn’t get the perfect photos today, I am blaming you.” “You’re just being difficult because you’re jealous.” My vision completely blurred. Tears flooded my eyes until I couldn’t even see my own shadow on the ground. I couldn’t remember when I became a total ghost in my own family. I stood barefoot on the boiling concrete for almost an hour. My legs were trembling so violently I thought I would collapse. When they finally finished the first set, Mia walked over and held a bottle of water out to me. “Cici, it’s my fault you’re standing out here. I just really wanted these pictures.” “Drink some water. Please say you forgive me?” As I reached out to grab the bottle, she intentionally let it slip through her fingers. The water splashed onto the concrete, splashing a few drops of dirt onto the hem of her dress. Rick snapped his head up, his brow heavily furrowed. “Cici, what the hell is your problem?!” “Mia was nice enough to bring you water, and you refuse to even take it.” “You just ruined her dress! Do you even have the money to pay for that?!” I glanced down at her sparkling, designer gown. For as long as I could remember, I wore cheap, bargain bin clothes my parents bought from flea markets. They always said the expensive things had to be saved for Mia. They told me I wasn’t delicate enough to need nice clothes. The suffocating rage I had buried for years finally exploded. “I didn’t even touch the bottle! She dropped it herself!” “Rick, are you literally blind, or are you just looking for an excuse to humiliate me?!” He froze, completely stunned into silence. Mia gently tugged at his sleeve. “Rick, what are you doing?” “It wasn’t Cici’s fault. My hand slipped. You are not allowed to yell at her.” “Quick, apologize to Cici.” Rick looked down at Mia and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Mia. I just lost my temper. Please don’t be upset.” “And Cici, I apologize on her behalf. She’s always been too forgiving for her own good.” He managed to twist an apology that was supposed to be for me into another way to highlight my flaws. A chilling numbness washed over me. I pushed myself off the ground, walking straight past them. “Rick, I wish you both a lifetime of misery.” “After today, you and I are completely done.” I ordered an Uber and went straight to the ER alone. The triage doctor took one look at the bottom of my feet and asked what happened. I fought back the tears threatening to spill over. “I accidentally stepped on something hot.” After getting my feet bandaged, I limped slowly toward the exit. Suddenly, a massive crowd of people surged down the hallway. Someone violently shoved me out of the way. I crashed to the floor, my prescription bottles scattering everywhere. I looked up and saw Rick sprinting toward the trauma bay, carrying Mia in his arms like a madman. My parents were sprinting right behind him, their faces pale with terror. “Doctor! You have to save her!” “She ate a peanut! She’s having an allergic reaction!” Mia was rushed through the emergency doors. Rick stood there panting. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted me sitting on the floor. “Cici, what are you doing here?” I didn’t say a word. He glanced down at my heavily blistered and bandaged feet, frowning slightly. “When did you get hurt?” “I got hurt when you dragged me out to stand barefoot on boiling concrete for an hour.” I stared dead into his eyes. “Don’t you think pretending to care right now is a little pathetic?” He opened his mouth to speak, his face turning bright red. My mother glanced down at me, her voice dripping with annoyance. “You came all the way to the hospital for a few blisters? What a waste of money.” Before I could even defend myself, a nurse called out for Mia’s family. My parents instantly shoved past me. My mother grabbed the nurse’s arm, repeating the same thing over and over. “I don’t care how much it costs! Give her the absolute best medication you have! You have to save my Mia!” The absolute last shred of love I had for my family shattered into dust. I felt like a sponge completely wrung dry. I didn’t even have the strength to stand up. I dragged myself back to the empty house and started packing my suitcases. I put all my IDs and crucial documents safely in my bag. Without me realizing, the sun went down. I reached out to turn on the living room light, but nothing happened. My phone buzzed. It was a text from my father. “We are staying at the hospital tonight to watch over Mia.” “I cut the main breaker to the house. Since you’re the only one there, there’s no reason to waste electricity.” When I was in middle school, I was locked in my pitch black bedroom for an entire night. I called my parents dozens of times, but nobody answered. When I finally got out the next morning, I found out the truth. Mia had mentioned she wanted a specific cake from a bakery two towns over, so they drove out and spent the entire day having fun without me. Later, at a parent teacher conference, I tried to laugh off the story to the other moms. The other parents looked at me with deep pity. But my parents? They were busy discussing which designer dress to buy Mia next. A dark, bitter smile touched my lips. I navigated the dark hallway back to my room. Early the next morning, my parents brought Mia home. Seeing me leaning against my bedroom door, my father barked: “What are you standing around for? Go make lunch!” “Mia wants honey glazed wings and braised ribs. Don’t make them too sweet, and absolutely no cilantro.” I stood there, staring at the floor. They had every single one of Mia’s dietary preferences memorized flawlessly. Yet, the last time we went out for dinner, they ordered an entire table of spicy food. When I quietly reminded them that I was highly allergic to chili peppers, they accused me of intentionally ruining Mia’s night. Seeing that I wasn’t moving, my mother’s face darkened. “Why are you still standing there? What if Mia’s stomach starts hurting because she’s hungry?” Rick parked his car and walked in, immediately stepping in to play the peacemaker. “Mr. and Mrs. Reed, why don’t you take Mia to the couch so she can rest.” “Cici and I will handle lunch together.” He grabbed my wrist, yanked me into the kitchen, and slammed the door shut behind us. “What is your problem now? Are you still throwing a fit over the wedding? I already apologized, didn’t I?” “Are you seriously going to hold a grudge over this?” Even now, he truly believed I was just throwing a childish tantrum. My fingernails dug so deep into my palms they almost drew blood. “I am not cooking.” I violently ripped my hand out of his grip. “If you want to cook for Mia, do it yourself.” I turned to walk back to my room, just as Mia was coming down the stairs. She smiled sweetly and grabbed my arm. “Cici, please don’t be mad. I was just craving your cooking.” “Mom and Dad were just trying to make me happy. Please don’t take it personally.” My chest felt like it was filled with cement. I couldn’t move an inch. I viciously shoved her hand off my arm and walked up the stairs without looking back. From the living room, I heard my father comforting her. “Mia, ignore her. We completely spoiled her.” “If she had even half of your maturity, my life would be so much easier.” I let out a dark laugh on the landing. Fine. You want me gone? I’ll give you exactly what you want. That afternoon, I officially resigned from my local job. When I got home, I saw my parents shoving a debit card into Mia’s hands. I recognized that card immediately. It was the checking account where my entire salary was deposited. And lying on the floor next to the couch was my purse, ripped open. I sprinted over, staring at my mother in absolute horror. “What gives you the right to touch my bank account?!” My mother immediately raised her voice, completely unbothered. “We raised you for over twenty years! Do you have any idea how much money we spent keeping you alive?!” “What’s wrong with giving back to Mia now?! Why are you so ungrateful?!” That account held every single dollar I had ever saved in my life. I had been saving for years to finally buy my own apartment and escape this hell. But now, my only lifeline was being handed away. “The rent, the groceries, and the gifts I’ve bought you since I graduated college easily paid back whatever you spent raising me!” The second I got my first paycheck, my parents demanded a massive monthly ‘living fee.’ For every holiday, I was forced to buy them expensive gifts and cash envelopes. But Mia? She lived rent-free, entirely funded by my parents. “Why does my money belong to Mia?!” “Who exactly is your real daughter?!” Mia quickly tried to hand the card back, putting on a perfect performance of being deeply conflicted. But the look in her eyes was pure, venomous triumph. “Mom, Dad, I really can’t take Cici’s money. Please take it back.” My father grabbed her hand and forcefully shoved the card into her pocket. “Mia, keep it. Ignore her.” “She’s used to throwing tantrums and expecting everyone to cater to her.” Cater to me? When, in my entire life, had they ever catered to me?! Before I could even process the shock, Rick stepped forward. He placed a thick stack of cash into Mia’s hands. “Cici, I withdrew all the emergency funds we set aside for the wedding.” “Mia and I are hosting our official reception in a few days. Consider this your blessing to us.” When we started planning the wedding, Rick suggested we create a joint fund. We agreed to split the costs exactly fifty-fifty. But he kept dragging his feet on depositing his half, forcing me to drain my personal savings to cover the deposits. The agonizing memory of starving myself just to pay for a wedding that was never mine came rushing back. It felt like someone was carving my heart out with a dull knife. “What gives you the right?!” I lunged forward to rip the money out of his hands. “Rick, don’t you dare forget that I paid for every single cent of that wedding!” “What gives you the right to give it to her?!” My father aggressively stepped in front of Mia, pointing a finger directly in my face. “You heartless bitch!” “Mia’s mother saved your mother’s life! A daughter pays her mother’s debts! What’s wrong with taking a little of your money?!” I refused to listen to their psychotic logic. I dove forward again to grab my debit card from Mia. But my mother grabbed me by the hair and slapped me across the face as hard as she could. “Learn your damn place! You’re making a scene over a few dollars like a common thug!” “If you throw one more tantrum, we are disowning you for good!” My cheek burned like fire. The tears I had fought back for days finally spilled over my eyelashes. “I wish to God you had never given birth to me.” I didn’t say another word. I turned around and walked back to my room. For the next four days, the house was filled with laughter and wedding planning. But my bedroom felt like it had been entirely erased from existence. Not a single person checked if the severe burns on my feet were healing. Nobody even asked if I had eaten a meal. The night before my flight, Rick opened my bedroom door for the first time. He threw a bridesmaid dress onto my bed. “Mia wants you to be her maid of honor. You better be on time tomorrow.” He turned and walked away. It was like he truly believed his ex-fiancée was meant to stand in the background and play a supporting role in his new life. I picked up the dress and shoved it directly into the trash can. I was absolutely not going to that wedding. The next morning, before the sun even came up, I grabbed my suitcases and walked out the front door. As the plane lifted into the sky, the city shrank into tiny, meaningless blocks. From this moment on, I had absolutely zero connection to the family that had drained the life out of me for twenty years.

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1 Three years ago, my vocal cords were destroyed. My wife Audrey learned exactly three signs: Eat. Sleep. Stop throwing a fit. When I asked her to learn more, she frowned. “I sit through back-to-back meetings, Gabe. Am I supposed to come home and perform charades for you? You’re not completely mute. Just read my lips.” So I spent three years desperately reading her lips. Miss a word, she claimed I was giving her the silent treatment. Misread one, she lost patience. Then the lead male streamer at her agency injured his wrist. Audrey paused her own schedule for a month to keep him company. On his comeback stream, she sat beside him as a guest, communicating entirely in flawless sign language, not a single mistake. Live comments swooned. Audrey smiled at the camera and signed, Because I want the person who matters most to understand me at all times. Backstage, I confronted her. She scrolled her phone. “His wrist is broken, Gabe. He’s vulnerable. If I didn’t learn it for him, who would? You’ve been used to your condition for years. Are you seriously throwing a tantrum over a sick man?” I stared at her hands. Those were the same hands I’d held, teaching her I miss you, Hold me, Welcome home. She never learned them. Only now did I realize my language was never too difficult. Her hands, like her heart, were simply silent whenever they faced me. I removed my speech amplifier and set it inside its box. The lingering applause from the streaming hall instantly died down into total silence. Audrey glanced over, her thumbs still flicking across her screen. “What are you pouting about now? Let’s talk at home. Everyone is waiting to celebrate.” I watched the shape of her lips. “Was that line about ‘the person who matters most’ just for show too?” “Of course it was. What else would it be?” She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “We give the viewers whatever they want to see. You used to work in operations, shouldn’t you know how this works?” Tristan walked out of the dressing room with a black brace wrapped around his wrist. He awkwardly raised his hands to sign, Don’t misunderstand, man. Ms. Audrey was just helping me pull off my comeback. His sign for “man” was slightly off, positioning his hand a bit too high, making it look closer to “uncle.” I had warned Audrey about that specific mistake before, telling her that the angle could easily cause confusion. Back then, she had yanked her hand away, telling me to stop obsessing over stupid details and making a big deal out of nothing. Yet right now, she gently cupped Tristan’s wrist, carefully adjusting his fingers. “Take it easy. Your wrist hasn’t fully healed yet. Your speed will come back slowly.” Her voice was dripping with a tenderness I had never experienced. The stage coordinator chuckled under his breath. “Looks like Ms. Audrey’s month off wasn’t wasted. She spots every single mistake Tristan makes.” The broadcast monitor nearby was still running, comments piling over each other in a relentless stream. She’s so gentle when she corrects his hands! My heart is melting! This is way better than any romance drama. Am I the only one who noticed the way she looked toward the back row at the end? Something felt totally off. That last comment was quickly buried under a flood of fan chants. I pulled a roll of flesh-colored joint tape from my bag and set it on the desk. “Take this back.” It was a specialized training tape I had designed during my own vocal rehabilitation. Each finger joint had a tiny blue alignment dot printed on it to help calibrate the precise angles of sign language. Three years ago, I had carefully placed those patches on Audrey’s hands, trying to teach her how to sign Welcome home forty-seven times. She complained the adhesive was too sticky, tossed the roll into a drawer, and never touched it again. Now, all ten of Tristan’s fingers were wrapped in identical blue-dotted tape. Audrey locked her phone screen, her voice dropping a notch. “It’s just a roll of tape, Gabe. Do you really have to pick a fight over every little thing right here?” “I’m not picking a fight.” I snapped the amplifier case shut. “Now that you’ve learned it all, I don’t need to keep a backup roll anymore.” She froze for a split second, then reached out to grab the strap of my duffel bag. “After the dinner, I’ll drive you home. Stop pulling a face in public.” Tristan suddenly bent over with a raspy cough. Audrey instantly let go of my bag, rushing over to press a glass of warm water to his lips. He typed out a line on his phone and held it up for me to read: Bro, I took up a whole month of Ms. Audrey’s time. You’re not going to be petty over a basic work relationship, are you? I let out a faint smile. I typed back: I can accept it. I’ll accept giving her to you, too. Audrey’s face turned icy in an instant. “Gabe, keep your jealousy in check.” Tristan’s eyes welled up with tears. “Bro, we really are just working together. There’s nothing personal between us.” Audrey offered him a soothing pat on the head, but when she turned back to me, her eyes were filled with sheer exhaustion. “When are you ever going to grow up and be sensible like him?” In the past, I would have scrambled for my phone, typing frantically to explain myself, trying to tell her I wasn’t being dramatic, that I was just terrified of losing her. I would have begged for a single word of reassurance. Now, I simply closed my eyes and remained quiet. Seeing me shut down, Audrey’s expression softened slightly. “It’s Tristan’s first day back. We can’t ruin his mood tonight. Come on, let’s head to the private room.” I followed them inside. Someone pulled out a phone to shoot behind-the-scenes footage. Tristan naturally slid into the seat right beside Audrey, leaving the lonely chair by the door for me. The talent manager waved at me. “Oh, Gabe’s here too? Perfect! Help us take a photo of Tristan and Ms. Audrey, would you?” Audrey didn’t correct him. She simply unlocked her phone and handed it over. “Shoot in landscape mode. Don’t block the sponsor logos.” I took the phone. Through the lens, I watched her lean in close, carefully peeling off the joint tape from Tristan’s fingers. Suddenly, a push notification popped up on her screen from the streaming app. The title read: Tomorrow at 8 PM: TrisAudrey Sign Language Confession Special. The host of the event wasn’t Tristan. It was Audrey’s personal account. The very last shred of hope holding me together finally snapped. I handed the phone back to Audrey, the screen still glowing on the event page. She took a quick glance and explained calmly, “It’s a last-minute push from the brand. The comeback metrics were great, so they want us to ride the momentum tomorrow night.” “Does the marketing department not have any public accounts left?” My hands signed the words with rigid precision. “Why do you need to use your personal one?” Audrey poured warm water into Tristan’s glass. “A high-traffic account is meant to be used. If we get overly precious about separating work from personal life, how are we supposed to run a business?” The manager rushed in to smooth things over. “Don’t take it so seriously, man! Tomorrow night is mostly to promote accessibility streaming. Ms. Audrey is doing a good deed.” Tristan used his phone’s text-to-speech function, emitting a flat, mechanical male voice. “Bro knows sign language too. Why don’t you stay and give us some on-site coaching?” The room fell dead silent for a second before a few staff members chimed in with awkward laughs. “Hey, that’s actually a killer idea! The main husband coaching the screen couple? That’s instant viral traffic!” “Come on, man, be a team player. It’s all for the company.” “Tristan can’t speak right now anyway. It’s tough for him to carry a stream alone.” I clenched my fists under the table. “I have to be at the Hearing Impaired Center tomorrow night.” Audrey’s fork paused in midair. “That non-profit subtitle project? You still haven’t pulled out of that?” “I built that project from scratch. Why should I pull out?” “The board decided to hand it over to Tristan.” She dropped a peeled shrimp into Tristan’s bowl, her tone as detached as if she were discussing a routine quarterly report. “He has the traffic right now. He’s a much better fit than you.” I stared dead into her eyes. “That real-time captioning algorithm took me and my team two full years of testing to get approved.” “The technology belongs to the company. It doesn’t matter who promotes it.” Audrey wiped her fingers with a damp cloth. “It’s inconvenient for you to appear on camera anyway. Letting him represent the project saves us from having viewers pry into your vocal damage.” My fingernails bit deep into my palms. Tristan slid a tablet across the table to me. The workflow for tomorrow’s launch was already laid out. Under the Lead Designer column, my name had been crossed out. Tristan’s name sat in its place. He offered a soft, delicate sign. Bro, you should be happy that your project is finally getting the spotlight it deserves. I swiped to the last page. In the core algorithm documentation, even the subtle typos I had corrected late at night remained unchanged. Audrey pressed her hand over the tablet screen. “The schedule is set. Don’t cause a scene in front of outsiders. It looks pathetic.” I looked up, locking eyes with her. “You think I look pathetic?” She cast a quick glance toward Tristan and offered no answer. Behind us, a phone was broadcasting the dinner highlights live, with comments rolling across the screen like wild water. Who’s that guy sitting in the corner with the hearing device? Is he staff? He looks so bitter. Tristan just made his comeback and this guy is already acting like a diva. I heard the subtitle project was Tristan’s idea while he was bedridden! He’s such an inspiration! The manager chuckled and turned his phone camera right toward my face. “This is Mr. Gabe from our technical team. He’s a bit introverted, guys, so go easy on him!” In our three years of marriage, this was the very first time I had ever appeared on Audrey’s company streams. Not as her husband. But as “Mr. Gabe from tech.” I reached over, turned off the manager’s phone, and looked straight at Audrey. “You think introducing me like that is appropriate?” Audrey leaned back against her chair, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden table. “What, do you want me to go public with our marriage so the internet can dissect your medical history? I’m trying to protect you.” “Fine.” I unclipped my staff badge and laid it flat on the tablet. “Give him the project. I won’t be coming tomorrow.” The tension in her brow instantly melted away, assuming I had finally come to my senses. “See? If you had just cooperated from the start, we wouldn’t have had a problem.” A cold, faint smirk pulled at the corner of my lips. He can have the project. And as for you… I don’t want you anymore either. Tristan raised his glass toward me, squeezing out a raspy, whispered phrase through his throat. “Thanks, bro.” I didn’t touch my glass. When the dinner wrapped up, Audrey had the driver take Tristan home while she walked with me to the parking garage. She reached into her coat pocket, pulled out a spare battery, and slipped it into my amplifier case. “I knew you’d forget to charge it today. I brought a spare.” My hand froze. But before I could even touch the case, a voice from behind us turned me stone cold. The stage coordinator trotted over. “Ms. Audrey, I’ve added the marriage sign to tomorrow night’s confession segment just like you asked.” Audrey spun around instantly to block the coordinator’s view, keeping her voice hushed. “We don’t need to discuss script details right now.” Sensing the suffocating atmosphere, the coordinator grabbed his gear and scurried away. I snapped the amplifier case shut with a harsh metallic click. “It’s just a staged couple. Do you really need to sign marriage?” “It’s just for show.” She pulled open the passenger car door for me. “Tristan just came back. He needs a viral highlight to secure his position. Don’t project your own feelings onto it.” “When I tried to teach you that exact sign three years ago, you told me it was bad luck.” Audrey’s hand tightened on the top of the car door, her face hardening. “Gabe, if you’re going to keep digging up old grievances from three years ago, how are we supposed to stay together?” I sat into the passenger seat and looked up at her calmly. “Then let’s not stay together.” She leaned down to pull the seatbelt across my chest, her thumb brushing against my collarbone. “Save your dramatic talk for home. Once tomorrow’s stream wraps up, I’ll take you out for dinner.” She was always like this. Every single time I brought up breaking up, she would throw out a promise of a meal she had no intention of keeping. She genuinely believed I would stand in the exact same spot, waiting for her forever. Except this time… I wouldn’t. The next day, the company set up the project’s launch event right inside the Hearing Impaired Center. By the time I arrived, a giant promotional poster was already standing at the entrance. Tristan’s face was plastered right in the center above the bold text: The Light-Bearer of the Silent World. Brooke, a junior colleague from my dev team, scurried over to intercept me. “Gabe… Ms. Audrey said your mental state hasn’t been great lately. She wants you to stay in the back and just handle text proofreading.” “I wrote every line of the core codebase. Why was I never notified about the launch event?” Brooke avoided my gaze, staring down at her shoes. “Tristan has a huge fanbase… The company needs his numbers. We didn’t have a choice.” Inside the main auditorium sat the hearing-impaired volunteers I had trained myself over the past two years. When they saw me walk in, a few stood up to offer me a seat, but the event director rushed past them, eagerly grabbing Tristan’s hands instead. “Mr. Tristan! Thank you so much for turning your personal tragedy into such a meaningful project. Our community needs public figures like you.” Tristan signed back effortlessly, It’s the least I could do. He was using the exact opening sequence I had recorded for our internal training modules, down to the precise micro-pauses between phrases. Audrey stood just below the stage, nodding at him with a proud smile. I walked straight up to the main display screen, reached out, and yanked the cable, cutting off the promotional video mid-play. “Mr. Tristan, do you even know the core logic behind real-time semantic compensation?” The media cameras in the room instantly whipped around, lenses focusing squarely on me. Tristan’s face drained of color. Before he could react, Audrey stepped up and grabbed my wrist tightly. “That’s enough, Gabe! You handle the tech, he handles the outreach. It’s a clear division of labor.” “My name isn’t even on the press release.” “It’s just a name! We can add it back later!” She released my hand, her tone turning frigid. “Stop acting like you can’t tolerate a sick man getting some credit.” The live chat on the screen exploded into a frenzy. Why is this guy causing trouble again? Tristan lost his voice and is still doing charity work, and this tech snob is trying to steal his thunder? Engineers love using technical jargon to bully people. Zero emotional intelligence. I turned my eyes to the team members I had pulled all-nighters with. Not a single one of them spoke up for me. Brooke even slid over, gently taking the master controller out of my hands. “Gabe… Ms. Audrey is letting you keep your job. Just step back, please.” When the event wrapped up, Tristan was swarmed by adoring fans. He grabbed my hand, pulling me into a photo. His fingers pressed deliberately hard against the faded surgical scar behind my speech device as he signed with a warm smile, Bro, let’s make peace. Camera flashes went off in rapid succession. The sharp pain made me flinch and turn my head away. Audrey’s hand came down heavily on my shoulder, pinning me in place. “Hold still until the photo is done. Don’t make things difficult for him.” Within minutes, the photo hit the top of the trending topics. The headline read: Tristan Embraces Jealous Colleague Who Tried to Steal Credit. I walked into the archival room, intending to retrieve my original experimental logs, only to find the cabinet lock had been replaced. On the desk lay an internal authorization agreement. The date stamped on it was three years ago… the exact day before Audrey and I registered our marriage. Below my digital signature, a single sentence was appended under the terms of use: All research assets transferred without compensation as joint marital property. Outside the door, Audrey’s sharp voice echoed down the hall. “Why hasn’t that old document been shredded yet?” I gripped the agreement tight. As I turned around, the doorknob slowly began to turn downward. I shoved the document deep into my folder. When Audrey pushed the door open, I was casually flipping through a stack of old test reports in the cabinet. She walked over and snatched the folder straight out of my hands. “These belong to the company now. If you need anything in the future, have Brooke email you a copy.” “Three years ago, you told me we needed to register our premarital assets so you could help me apply for R&D grants.” I looked into her eyes. “Was that a lie?” Audrey’s gaze flickered for a fraction of a second. “Legal handled the paperwork. I don’t remember the details. Why are you digging up ancient history?” “In tonight’s stream, are you going to announce Tristan as the sole founder?” “It’s just a temporary strategy.” She locked the filing cabinet with a sharp click. “Once his wrist recovers, we’ll slowly adjust the credits.” I nodded slowly. “And if I don’t agree?” Audrey reached up, checking the battery indicator on my speech device. Her voice softened back into a coaxing tone. “Gabe, the company’s cash flow is tight right now. Tristan’s traffic can save this entire project. Stop throwing a fit, alright?” It was the first time she had used that soft, affectionate tone with me in years. I raised my hand, almost touching the lapel of her tailored blazer, only to spot a silver badge pinned near her collar. It was the exclusive VIP emblem from Tristan’s streaming channel. “Fine.” I offered a faint, hollow smile. “I’ll be at the stream tonight.” Her face lit up with a relieved smile, her thumb quickly flashing the sign for Good boy. That afternoon, I snapped a clear photo of the authorization paper and emailed it to my attorney. Then, I logged into the server backend and exported the full timestamped record of the original source code. What Audrey didn’t know was that the entire system possessed a dual-key security protocol. The company had taken the program. But they could never take the master voice-print calibration key… which was permanently registered to my personal vocal rehab equipment. At eight o’clock sharp, the livestream went live. Tristan wore a crisp white shirt, with Audrey sitting right at his side. Both of them had blue-dotted alignment patches taped across their finger joints. The chat flooded the screen like an unstoppable tide. They’re finally in the same frame again! They can’t hear or speak, but they understand each other completely! This is the most romantic thing ever! I hope that tech guy doesn’t show up tonight to ruin the mood. The host asked Tristan to introduce the core concept. Tristan turned to the camera, signing with deep emotion, It was only after I lost my voice that I realized how desperately silent people need to be seen. Standing behind the main control console, I manually translated every single one of his signs into text on the screen. Nobody in the audience realized that every single word appearing on screen was being processed through my personal language model. Then came the confession segment. The host asked with a mischievous grin, “Ms. Audrey, are you willing to become Tristan’s voice forever?” Audrey signed I do first. Then, she crossed her hands over, executing the sign for Marriage. Subdued gasps and squeals erupted from the live crew behind the cameras. Tristan’s eyes turned red with tears as he gently pressed his palm against hers. The host seized the moment to press further. “We heard that Ms. Audrey learned sign language specifically for Tristan, and that these training patches hold a very special meaning to both of you?” Audrey’s eyes swept across the studio, catching sight of me standing alone in the very back row. She didn’t hesitate for even a second. Instead, she held up her hand, showing off the blue-dotted tape. “He designed these patches during his darkest times. I promised him that I would make sure his voice was heard by the entire world.” I reached over and slammed down the master record button on the control panel. Tristan smoothly opened the project’s official portal page. Under the founder slot, his name shone in bold, glowing letters. Audrey faced the camera, declaring proudly, “Starting tonight, this system is officially named VoxTristan, and all future proceeds will belong entirely to Tristan’s personal studio.” The system console flashed a red prompt on my screen, demanding final security key authorization. Audrey turned her head toward the back row, giving me an imperative sign: Confirm. I looked at the hand that had once refused to sign Welcome home for me. Slowly, I dragged my cursor over to the flashing red button on the screen. The very next second, a massive system alert hijacked the main livestream broadcast. WARNING: Ownership dispute detected. Executing public broadcast of original creator authentication video. The smile on Audrey’s face instantly shattered. She lunged forward, trying to yank the master power cord. I clicked play before she could reach it.

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1 I had spent two years chasing the deal, finally securing a multi-million-dollar contract with Mr. Henderson. But right when it came time to sign, the contract was nowhere to be found inside my briefcase. The meeting fell apart, and Mr. Henderson walked away in frustration. The company immediately stripped me of my promotion eligibility and revoked my annual performance bonus. When I walked out of the office building that evening, my closest friend, Gary, was waiting by the entrance. He held that thick stack of contract documents in his hand, casually waving it in front of my face. It was only later that I realized what happened. While I had stepped away to use the restroom right before the signing, Gary had slipped the documents straight out of my bag. “Looks like you failed your emergency reflex test again!” Gary chuckled. My girlfriend, Janie, stood beside him, her expression completely indifferent. “You still weren’t fully prepared, Simon. If you had built a proper contingency plan for unexpected situations, this wouldn’t have happened. Take it as a lesson.” I clenched my fists tight, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. Back in college, right before a major public speaking competition, Gary had secretly hidden my index cards, leaving me to freeze and look like an absolute fool in front of thousands of students and faculty. When we graduated, Gary hid my job application files, causing me to miss a prestigious corporate fast-track program. Just last month, I spent three straight days and two sleepless nights finishing a critical project proposal. At the absolute last minute, Gary yanked out my power cord, wiping my unsaved files and forcing me to rebuild everything from scratch. Every single time, Gary claimed he was just “training my adaptability under pressure.” And every single time, Janie stood firmly behind him, scolding me for not being prepared enough. I clutched the official transfer notice in my jacket pocket. Neither of them knew that because of this mistake, the company was exiling me to a remote branch in the rugged Northern territory. “Gary, do you have any idea how hard I worked for this contract?” My voice trembled, a suffocating ache spreading through my chest. “I followed Mr. Henderson for two whole years! When his mother was hospitalized, I spent two weeks sitting by her bedside taking care of her!” Seeing the look on my face, Gary’s cheerful demeanor wavered slightly. “Simon, why are you getting so worked up? I only did it to make you better. Remember when I hid your speech notes? After that, you learned to speak entirely off the cuff!” “And when I hid your application, you learned to always print three backup copies!” Janie stepped in, gently patting Gary’s arm to comfort him. “He’s put so much thought into helping you growth. We all see it.” She turned her head to look at me, her eyes filled with cold disappointment. “Simon, why can’t you show a little gratitude? Gary spends every day coming up with realistic scenarios to train your quick thinking, and all you do is blame him.” “Where is your conscience?” A bitter laugh nearly escaped my throat. “You two ruined my career, and I’m supposed to thank you for it?” “Janie, Gary… tell me, is that really how this works?” Gary opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Sensing she might be in the wrong, Janie reached over to take my hand. “Alright, stop being so petty.” “Gary and I only want what’s best for you. Let’s go get those jumbo garlic shrimp you love and blow off some steam.” Without waiting for my answer, the two of them dragged me straight into the restaurant. When picking the spice level, I mentioned I had mouth sores and couldn’t handle spicy food. Gary spoke up immediately, saying he wanted extra spicy, claiming anything less was completely tasteless. Without a second thought, Janie ordered the extra-spicy broth. When the platter arrived, I didn’t touch a single piece. Janie, on the other hand, meticulously peeled every single shrimp for Gary, removing the heads and shells before placing them neatly in a row on his plate. Gary dropped a peeled shrimp onto my plate. “Don’t be mad anymore, man. I’m sorry, okay?” Janie glanced over, her voice flat. “Gary, Simon knows how to peel his own food. Let him do it himself.” When I remained silent, her tone turned sharp with impatience. “Simon, we’ve already apologized and tried to make nice. If you’re going to keep pulling a bitter face, that’s on you.” That single sentence completely shattered whatever composure I had left. I stood up abruptly from the booth. “You two enjoy your meal. I’m leaving.” Back at my apartment, I gathered the contract documents that Gary had finally handed back. I tried calling Mr. Henderson’s assistant again and again, begging for one last chance to present. The only response I received was a firm, distant reply: Please stop calling. We’ve already signed with another firm. The formal transfer letter sat waiting in my email inbox. I stared at the glowing text over and over again. It was a done deal. In the past, to stay in this city, I had forced myself into a grueling industry I hated, pushing through every obstacle simply because Janie was here. But as I looked at the transfer order tonight, a strange wave of relief washed over me instead. A short while later, the front door opened, and Janie walked in holding a takeout bag. “I knew you didn’t eat back there, so I picked up your favorite shrimp wontons and garlic shrimp on the way home.” She set the bag down on the table. “Since you couldn’t eat the spicy broth, I was going to take you to a mild spot, but you walked out. Eat while it’s hot.” Janie opened the food container for me and gently pulled the contract papers out of my hands. “You’re off the clock, so eat your dinner and rest. Stop obsessing over work.” “You’re not a machine, Simon. Your health comes first.” She lifted a wonton with a spoon and fed it to me. The moment I tasted it, tears spilled uncontrollably down my face. She was the only person who remembered this exact recipe. The shop was nearly fifteen miles away across town, meaning she had driven way out of her way just to get it for me. “Silly boy, what are you crying for?” She smiled softly, wiping a tear from my cheek. “Your girl remembers what you like. The food at the other place was too heavy, so I made a special trip to your favorite spot.” I chewed the wonton, the familiar taste filling my mouth, mingled with the salty sting of my tears. “Janie… I might be transferred somewhere very far away…” I looked up, only to see Janie staring down at her phone screen, a bright smile on her face. “Hmm? What did you say?” “I said…” “Hold on a second,” she interrupted, grabbing her coat. “Gary just finished shopping and needs a ride home. Eat your dinner, okay? Be good!” The front door shut with a heavy thud, the sound piercing through my heart like a needle. I sat there waiting for hours. The hands on the clock crept past midnight, but Janie never returned. Just as I was about to dial her number, a text message from her popped up on my screen: Gary’s roommate is out of town tonight and he’s feeling anxious being alone. I’m going to stay until he falls asleep, then head back. I sat at the edge of the mattress, my back pressed against the cold wall, my eyes staring blankly at the dark bedroom doorway. When I was a child, my parents fought constantly. The sound of shattering china and heavy shoving was burned deep into my memory. Once, a jagged shard of porcelain flew across the room and sliced the top of my foot, blood soaking into my slipper. That night, I had huddled in the dark corner, terrified to move or make a sound, afraid that if they noticed me, their rage would turn on me instead. Ever since then, even the faintest noise late at night would send my nerves into a hyper-vigilant panic. I was terrified of turning off the lights or closing my eyes, afraid of being exposed in the dark. I used to force myself to stay awake until dawn before finally passing out, waking up with icy hands and a pounding headache. The doctor called it severe anxiety-induced insomnia. Until I met Janie. Back then, she had held me tight and promised that I would never be alone again. She swore that as long as she was breathing, she would never leave me waiting in the dark until sunrise. I had sobbed in her arms that night, feeling truly safe. And now, she was spending the night keeping Gary company. The desk lamp stayed lit all night long. I leaned against the headboard in a half-awake daze, my eyelids heavy as lead, yet the central nerve in my brain remained pulled taut, refusing to let me sleep. The clock on the wall spun around and around until five in the morning, when the front door latch finally clicked. Janie was back. My pillow was soaked through on one side. I turned my body over, keeping my back facing her. She slid into bed and wrapped her arms gently around my waist from behind. “I’m sorry, babe. I was afraid of waking you up when I finished, and it was so late, so I just crashed on Gary’s couch.” I stayed silent. But deep down, I knew that whatever we had was officially gone. Over the next two days, the company processed my reassignment paperwork. Because the Northern branch was so remote, there were extensive briefing materials to prepare. Yet right before the final review meeting, my prepared briefing folder vanished into thin air. The general manager lost his temper with me once again. “Simon, what is wrong with you?! How many times is this going to happen?” “After a massive blunder like last time, have you learned nothing at all?!” My mind immediately went to Gary. I stormed out of the office and drove straight to his apartment. When I pushed the door open, I found Janie sitting on his sofa, the two of them laughing together over coffee. I caught the tail end of Gary’s bragging voice: “I’m telling you, Simon only ever hides his stuff in a few predictable spots. I practically know his brain inside out by now!” “Name any item, and I can guess where he shoved it!” Janie offered a gentle smile, reaching out to lightly brush a strand of hair from Gary’s forehead. “Look at that clever little brain of yours. You’re so sharp!” Rage boiled over inside my chest. I stepped forward, pointing a shaking finger straight at them. “Have you two no shame at all? Building your entertainment on someone else’s suffering?!” I glared at Gary, letting every bit of pent-up anger pour out. “Gary, you are a despicable, vile coward!” Having never seen me lose my temper like this, Gary froze on the spot. A few seconds later, he squeezed out a pathetically meek tone. “Simon… how could you say that about me? I only did it to train your emergency reflexes!” “The better your quick thinking under pressure, the stronger your career will be!” As he spoke, two forced tears welled up in his eyes. Seeing Gary cry, Janie exploded like a lit fuse. “What is your problem, Simon?! Can’t you tell who’s actually on your side?!” “He’s done so much for you, and you say things that disgusting?!” “I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours. Apologize to Gary right now!” I stared directly into her eyes, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “I will never apologize. Not a single word.” “He doesn’t deserve it.” Without another word, I turned and walked out the door. Gary pulled on Janie’s sleeve with a tearful whine. “Go after him! Hurry up and catch him!” Janie let out a cold snort. “I am not going! He’s narrow-minded and ungrateful. Let him sit alone and think about what he did!” Out in the freezing wind, tears burst past my eyelids like a broken dam. My chest felt as if it were bursting apart, a sharp, suffocating pain radiating through my body. That afternoon, I received a phone call from my father. Ever since I started working, my father rarely reached out to me. But knowing I would soon be sent to the remote Northern outpost, I decided to visit home one last time. When I stepped through the front door, I saw Janie and Gary already seated around the dining table, chatting and laughing with my parents. The moment my father caught sight of me, his warm smile instantly vanished into a cold glare. “So you finally remembered you have a father?” “I thought you didn’t even recognize me anymore!” I kept my voice low. “Dad, what’s going on?” My father glared at me. “Are you really going to act like you don’t know what you did?!” “Gary is such a wonderful young man, spending his time coming up with ways to train your adaptability under pressure! Instead of showing some gratitude, you berate him!” “Have you forgotten how slow you were as a kid? You were so dense you couldn’t even work out basic two-digit math!” “If it weren’t for Gary and his family helping you along the way, you wouldn’t even have a job today!” My voice trembled with suppressed grief. “Dad… who is actually your son here?” “Do you have any idea how much damage they’ve done to my career?!” My father raised his voice even higher, cutting me off with a harsh shout. “Damage you?! What do you know, accusing people right and left?!” “You claim he’s sabotaging you… do you really think he has nothing better to do with his time?!” As my father berated me relentlessly, a subtle, smug smirk flickered across the corner of Gary’s eyes. Janie, however, looked slightly uncomfortable, her face darkening as she cast a hesitant glance at me, looking as if she wanted to say something but held back. The dinner ended in miserable silence. Late that night, Janie returned home long after I did, her expression dark with frustration. “I really don’t understand you, Simon. Why do you have to pick a fight with everyone who cares about you?!” “At dinner tonight, you hurt every single person in that room who loves you.” I kept my back turned to her, refusing to say a single word. I knew it was completely pointless. Early the next morning, I booked a one-way flight to the Northern territory. After packing a small duffel bag with a few essential personal belongings, I completed my final digital handovers with the regional branch. Without telling a single soul, I boarded the plane. Shortly after takeoff, the company’s internal employee group chat exploded. Dozens of high-resolution screenshots were posted, showing alleged evidence of me selling confidential corporate data to competitors. The documents clearly displayed my digital signature, along with detailed bank transfer records and account numbers. The chat went into absolute pandemonium. Simon looked so honest and down-to-earth! How could he do something like this behind our backs? He’s trying to ruin the company! Seriously! He made that massive mistake last time, and the boss gave him a transfer instead of firing him. How can someone be so ungrateful? Is he trying to drag us all down with him? We all have families to feed. If the company collapses, what are we supposed to do?! My department head tried calling me frantically, while my colleagues sent hundreds of unread messages: Simon, why are you doing this to us?! Reply immediately! It’s not too late to pull back, Simon! You’re young, don’t do something that ruins your life forever! Because I was mid-flight without cellular service, everyone assumed I had taken the money and fled the country. Gary was practically bursting with pride, showing off his phone screen to Janie. “Look at my new photo-editing skills! It looks a hundred percent legit!” “Unless a professional forensic team analyzes the metadata, no ordinary person could ever tell it’s fake!” His eyes gleamed with malicious excitement. “This is going to give Simon something to sweat over for a long time! Just thinking about his desperate, furious face makes me laugh!” Listening to his non-stop bragging, Janie didn’t smile this time. Her expression flickered between light and shadow. “Gary…” Gary stopped laughing and looked at her. A few seconds passed before Janie spoke up hesitantly. “I feel like… this might be going a bit too far this time. If the company can’t clear this up, it could actually involve law enforcement.” Gary’s face instantly dropped into a bitter scowl. “I knew it!” “Janie, you’re feeling sorry for Simon! You think I went too far, and you’re blaming me now, aren’t you?!” Janie quickly tried to appease him. “No, no, of course not! That’s not what I meant!” “I know you mean well! But you know how petty Simon can be. Even though his quick-thinking under pressure has improved a lot thanks to us, he doesn’t appreciate our efforts at all!” Gary crossed his arms, turning his shoulder to her. “You don’t need to make excuses for him. If you genuinely think I’m being cruel, fine! I’ll never bother helping him again!” Janie immediately pulled Gary back by his sleeve, her face softening into a warm smile once more. “How could you say that? Gary, you’re the sweetest, most thoughtful person I know.” Meanwhile, my plane touched down at the Northern airfield, and I switched my phone back on. The moment the deluge of urgent messages from leadership loaded, I realized exactly what had transpired. Without a second’s delay, I dialed my department head directly. “Sir, I was on a commercial flight for the past four hours. I’ve just emailed you my flight ticket and boarding pass timestamps.” “Regarding the leak, the timestamps on those alleged transfer documents overlap directly with my time in the air. Someone is deliberately framing me and attempting to sabotage the company.” “I will provide all necessary technical logs, but I request that the company prosecute the perpetrator to the full extent of the law.” “Before taking off, Gary sent me those edited images to brag about his work. I have preserved the chat logs, metadata, and IP routing details, and I am submitting them to you right now.” After receiving the executive’s firm confirmation, I forwarded Gary’s full personal file and chat logs directly to the corporate legal team.

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1 Lately, my husband couldn’t stop bringing up the new older woman in his department. “She dresses like she’s going to a club, and her eyebrows look like they were drawn on with a thick Sharpie.” I just smiled and kept quiet. A few days later, he came home fuming. “She actually begged me to fix her laptop today. Can’t she do anything herself? It’s exhausting.” I handed him a bowl of fresh fruit. “She’s new. Just give her a hand.” “She’s almost forty and still acts like a helpless teenager. Every sentence starts with ‘Oh, silly me.’ It makes me want to throw up.” He took a aggressive bite of an apple. “And she’s so slow. I’m constantly cleaning up her messes.” “If it bothers you that much,” I asked, “why don’t you ask your manager for a new partner?” He shook his head, sighing. “Forget it. Life’s tough for her. She’s a single mom.” Then came the night he staggered home drunk, muttering under his breath, “Brenda’s son had a fever tonight. She was sobbing her eyes out… I had to drive them to the ER.” I handed him a glass of water. “I thought you hated her.” He closed his eyes, slurring his words. “I do… I just hate how she tries to carry everything on her own.” My heart sank into my stomach. When a man starts dreaming about another woman, whether it’s in his heart or his bed, he’s already checked out of the marriage. … The next morning, Lucas was mostly sober, propped up against the headboard scrolling through his phone. His thumb flicked rapidly across the screen, his face darkening by the second. Before I could say a word, he blurted out in frustration, “Is this woman completely brainless? Three messages first thing in the morning just to ask how to fill out a spreadsheet.” I nonchalantly replied, “She could ask any other coworker. Why only you?” “Because she’s needy,” Lucas scoffed, his tone dripping with disgust. “She can’t handle basic tasks. It’s ‘Lucas, please help me’ all day long. Gives me skin crawls.” I turned to look him in the eye. “If she annoys you so much, just ignore her.” Lucas stiffened for a fraction of a second before adopting a reasonable posture. “We work in the same cubicle cluster. Ignoring her would make things way too awkward.” “Didn’t you say she was fake and disgusting?” I asked softly. “She is fake, but she’s genuinely miserable too.” He shrugged. “Her kid was burning up yesterday. She broke down crying right in front of me. I couldn’t just turn a cold shoulder.” I stared at him. “So you drove her to the hospital in the middle of the night and picked up her medical bill?” Lucas waved a hand dismissively. “It was just a couple hundred bucks. We’re teammates, it’s no big deal.” I pulled out my phone, opened the screenshots of his bank statements from last night, and held them in front of his face. “Twenty-four transfers in a single month. Boba tea, bakery deliveries, pediatric meds. You paid for all of it. Just being a good teammate?” Lucas shoved my phone away, his temper flaring. “Josie, can you stop looking for trouble where there isn’t any?!” “Checking our accounts is looking for trouble?” I countered. He scoffed, his eyes filled with impatience and quiet contempt. “You don’t even work a real job. You sit at home all day staring at me. Is this your idea of fun? I work my ass off to support this household, and all you do is sit around doubting me?” “I do freelance graphic design,” I said quietly. “I’m not sitting around idle.” He didn’t buy it for a second. “Oh, please. Drawing a couple of pictures is a breeze. Stop inflating your ego. Everyone knows you’re just unemployed and living off my paycheck. Stop throwing tantrums. It’s exhausting.” I didn’t argue further. At noon, trying to offer an olive branch, he opened his food delivery app. “What do you want for lunch? My treat, somewhere nice.” “Let’s get Cajun seafood,” I said offhandedly. “Extra buttery, super spicy.” Lucas instantly shot it down. “No way. Too greasy and unhealthy.” I looked at him, puzzled. “That used to be your favorite.” “That was then. Things are different now.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could catch himself. “Brenda said greasy food causes stomach cancer. She keeps her diet extremely clean and disciplined.” The air in the room instantly turned ice-cold. I fixed my gaze on him. “You sure pay close attention to her.” Lucas dodged my eyes, clearing his throat nervously. “She rattles on about it every day at the office. My ears are practically numb from listening to her.” Before I could press him, his phone lit up on the coffee table. A banner notification popped onto the screen: Thanks again for taking us to the hospital last night~ I made some homemade rib soup today, I’ll bring some over for you tomorrow! I looked up at Lucas. 2 Lucas frantically lunged forward and slammed his phone face-down on the couch. “She’s just being overly polite.” I didn’t say a word, keeping my eyes fixed on his panicked face. Unsettled by my silence, Lucas sat up straight, crossing his arms in defensive anger. “It’s just a container of soup! It’s basic etiquette between coworkers. Why do you always jump to crazy conclusions?” A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “So a bowl of soup makes up for a month’s worth of bills you paid for her?” “Josie!” Lucas raised his voice, veins popping on his neck. “Do you really have to pick a fight over every tiny detail?” My voice remained level, though my heart felt completely hollow. “You used to talk so much trash about her. But your actions tell a completely different story.” “You rushed her kid to the ER, paid her bills, and memorized her whole diet plan.” “Lucas, do you even know what professional boundaries look like anymore?” The question caught him off guard. He swallowed hard. “I’m just soft-hearted! I can’t turn my back when someone’s suffering. Why is your mind so toxic? Why do you always assume the worst?” “Is my mind toxic, or are you crossing lines?” I stood up, looking down at him. “You claim to despise her, yet you act more devoted to her than anyone else.” “Does that sound normal to you?” His posture shrank a little, his voice losing its sting. “We are strictly coworkers. Stop making up stories and tearing this house apart.” I looked straight into his soul. “When you used to come home from work, you’d share funny stories about your day with me. Now? Every single word out of your mouth is about her. Your complaints are about her, and your sympathy is for her.” Lucas fell silent, his face turning an ugly shade of red. “I know work is stressful,” I continued, “but I will not tolerate you crossing marital boundaries under the guise of being a good Samaritan.” “I…” He opened his mouth, stammered for a moment, and finally choked out, “I know where the line is. Just trust me.” Without waiting for my reply, he grabbed his jacket from the rack. “I’m going back to the office to work late. We both need to cool off.” By evening, Lucas returned right on cue, carrying a thermal tote bag in his hand. He caught my eye as he stepped through the front door, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Brenda forced this on me. I couldn’t say no without being rude.” I said impassively, “Did she stay late at the office too, just to hand-deliver soup to you?” He set the container down on the counter and walked over, his tone noticeably softer. “She was putting in overtime too. You know how clumsy she is with her work, she can never finish on time.” “Look, I was out of line this morning. I promise I’ll keep my distance from now on, okay? Don’t be mad.” At that exact moment, his phone chimed again. A photo flashed on his screen showing a young boy playing with blocks. The caption read: My little guy is feeling so much better today, all thanks to you~ You should bring your wife over for dinner sometime! Lucas picked up his phone and thrust the screen right into my face. “See? If there was anything shady going on between us, would she be inviting you over?” A gentle, reassuring smile spread across his face, a smile I hadn’t seen in months. 3 I didn’t take the bait. Taking my silence as acceptance, he eagerly pulled out a bowl and began pouring the broth. “Come on, smell this. Brenda’s rib soup actually smells amazing. Give it a taste.” I remained seated, unmoving. “Josie?” He stepped over, offering the steaming bowl with both hands. “Give me a break here. She even asked you over to her place. What else could you possibly be worried about?” I looked up at him. “Fine. Let me go tomorrow night then.” Lucas froze, the bowl hovering in mid-air. I smiled calmly. “Tomorrow evening, after work, we’ll head over together. I’d love to meet the little boy you saved.” Lucas slammed the bowl down onto the dining table, broth splashing over the rim. “Are you doing this just to pick a fight? Going there with that attitude is just going to ruin everyone’s night!” I locked eyes with him. “What are you hiding? Afraid I’ll catch you red-handed?” “You!” Lucas was fuming. “I’ve explained this a thousand times, she’s just a coworker! If you don’t believe me, I’ll call her right now and let her tell you herself!” He ripped his phone out of his pocket and hit speakerphone. It rang three times before a smooth, velvety voice echoed through the speaker. “Lucas-bear~” Brenda’s voice was honeyed and playful. “Why are you calling me at this hour? Is the soup that good? Are you calling to shower me with compliments?” Lucas’s entire face turned stiff as a board. “Brenda, my wife is right here. She wants to say hi.” The line went dead silent for a full second. “Oh my gosh! Hey girl!” Brenda’s tone instantly shifted into loud, hyper-friendly enthusiasm. “Hi, hi! I’ve been dying to meet you! Lucas brags about how pretty and talented you are all the time at work. I thought he was exaggerating, haha!” I spoke up neutrally. “Brenda, the soup is nice. Thanks.” “Oh, it’s nothing! Lucas takes such good care of me at work, a bowl of soup is the least I could do!” She let out a loud, airy laugh. “We’re just good buddies at the office. He just takes pity on me being a single mom and helps out a bit extra.” “I see,” I said slowly. “I’m just curious, Brenda. You call him ‘Lucas-bear’, and he calls you ‘Brenda’. Don’t you think the dynamic is a little weird?” There was another awkward pause on the line. Lucas jumped in frantically to smooth things over. “She’s just joking around, don’t take it seriously.” “Yeah, I just blab without thinking sometimes, don’t mind me!” Brenda added quickly. “I really have to host you for dinner at my place soon. I’ll cook a feast to make it up to you!” “Great. Tomorrow night then,” I said. A flash of panic bled through her tone. “Tomorrow? Uh… I might have to order takeout then…” “It’s a date,” I cut in. I ended the call. Lucas slid his phone back into his pocket, wearing a triumphant look. “See? She told you herself, strictly professional. What more do you want?” I didn’t answer. I picked up the spoon, dipped it into the soup, and took a small sip. “How is it?” He leaned in, expectant. “It’s fine,” I set the spoon down. “A little too gamey for my taste.” 4 The next evening, I arrived at Brenda’s apartment complex early. Lucas joined me after finishing his shift, carrying a gift box of organic milk and a bag of high-end fruit. When he saw my empty hands, his eyebrows pulled into a tight knot. “You came empty-handed? She’s hosting us for dinner, the least you could do is bring a gift.” I glanced at the items in his hands. “You brought enough for the both of us.” His face darkened, but he swallowed his frustration and didn’t push further. It was an old complex without an elevator. Lucas led the way up the stairs with practiced familiarity. Reaching door 603, he raised his hand and knocked. The door swung open almost instantly. “Lucas-bear is here!” Brenda stood there wearing a white lace dress, her makeup meticulously applied. When her eyes landed on me standing right behind him, her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before expanding into a broad, welcoming grin. “Oh, welcome, welcome! Come on in!” I offered a polite smile. “Thanks for having us, Brenda.” Inside, a little boy caught sight of Lucas. His eyes lit up instantly, and he sprinted across the living room with open arms. “Daddy!” Lucas’s face drained of color in an instant. I unhurriedly slipped into a pair of disposable hotel slippers I had brought along. Brenda yanked the boy back by his arm, her tone sharp. “Sweetie! Call him Uncle Lucas! How many times do I have to tell you?!” The boy pouted, tears welling up in his eyes. “But he IS Daddy… When I had a fever, he held me all night…” Lucas whipped his head toward me, his eyes wide with desperation. “He’s just a kid, he doesn’t know any better. Kids in single-parent homes call any guy ‘Daddy’. Don’t overthink it.” I looked down at the entry mat. Resting beside Brenda’s heels was a pair of faded blue men’s house slippers. Noticing where my eyes were pinned, Lucas scrambled to explain, “She bought those for her dad a while ago. Her dad stayed over once.” Brenda chimed in frantically, “Yes, exactly! My father stayed here for a few days a couple of months back!” I said nothing. Dinner was uncomfortable to say the least. The little boy insisted on sitting right next to Lucas. Lucas didn’t reject him. He naturally scooped food into the boy’s bowl and wiped sauce off the kid’s chin with practiced ease. “He sure is attached to you,” I remarked with a faint smirk. Brenda let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, Lucas is just so great with kids. Naturally, he loves him.” The boy raised his chubby face, asking Lucas in a sweet, high-pitched voice, “Daddy, can you give me a bath tonight? That bubble bath you bought me last time was so much fun!” The air in the dining room instantly turned to concrete. Lucas’s fork froze in mid-air. His face cycled through a spectrum of ghost-white and deep crimson. He offered me a forced, stiff laugh. “Last Friday she was stuck working late, so she asked me to babysit for an hour… I just gave him a quick wash while waiting. Don’t twist it into something bad.” Brenda’s voice pitched an octave higher. “Yes! I was totally drowning in work and had no choice! Please don’t misunderstand, it was literally just that one time!” I nodded calmly. “I see.” The boy, completely oblivious, chipped in again. “Daddy, when are you moving in with us? Mommy said you’re going to live with us soon!” Brenda bolted up from her chair, her voice shrill and panicked. “Stop talking nonsense!” Frightened by her outburst, the boy burst into tears, big drops rolling down his cheeks. Instinctively, Lucas reached over to pull the crying child into his arms, patting his back softly. “Shh, don’t cry, buddy. Uncle Lucas can’t live here. Uncle Lucas has his own home.” I set my chopsticks down cleanly on the table and looked straight at him. “Have you stayed the night here?” Over the past six months, he had been away on “business trips” dozens of times. “No!” The answer shot out of his mouth, but his voice lacked conviction. “Just… occasionally… when she was overwhelmed, I stayed to help watch the kid. Josie, don’t take a four-year-old’s ramblings seriously. What does he know?” Brenda scrambled over, nodding vigorously. “Yes! My boy just lacks a father figure, so he calls anyone who’s nice to him ‘Daddy’! He’s called several guys in our apartment building ‘Daddy’, I swear!” I leaned back against my chair, sweeping my cold gaze back and forth between the two of them. “Oh? He calls every guy he sees ‘Daddy’?” I let out a low, chilling laugh. “Then I’d really love to know… when was the last time you invited one of those other ‘daddies’ over to take care of your household?” 5 Brenda’s face froze mid-expression. Lucas lost his temper completely. “Josie! Stop picking on her! She was nice enough to cook us dinner, why do you have to be so aggressive and mean?!” I stood up. “This meal is completely unappetizing. Enjoy yourselves.” I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit. Lucas yelled my name behind me, but I didn’t bother turning back. Standing in the dimly lit stairwell, I pulled out my phone and looked at the photo I had snapped earlier of the men’s slippers by the door. Then I locked the screen and walked down the steps, one by one. Six flights of stairs. Three of the motion-sensor lights were broken, plunging the path into shadow. Lucas never ran down to chase after me. In fact, he didn’t come home at all that night. I pulled out my phone and dialed my best friend, Gwen. “Gwen, hook me up with a top-tier divorce attorney. Someone who specializes in asset division.” “Did that scumbag actually cheat on you?” “I don’t have concrete physical proof yet, but I need to draw my battle lines.” That night, I cleared all of Lucas’s clothes and personal belongings out of the master bedroom and dumped them into the home office. At 7:00 AM the next morning, the front door clicked open. Lucas walked in. I was sitting right on the living room sofa, waiting. When he caught sight of me, his footsteps faltered. “You didn’t sleep?” “We need to talk,” I said. He slipped off his shoes and walked over. A distinct scent drifted off him, not Brenda’s heavy perfume, but a fresh, clean scent of hotel body wash. He had showered somewhere else. “He’s just a little kid,” Lucas said, sitting on the armchair opposite me. “He calls everyone Daddy. It doesn’t mean anything. Josie, I don’t want to fight. Let’s just move past this and live our lives.” “Lucas,” I looked up, catching his eye. “When exactly did you decide that my feelings don’t matter anymore?” He blinked, caught off guard. “Does a man constantly bring up another woman for no reason?” I spoke slowly, placing emphasis on every single word. “You complained about her, you mocked her, because she was consuming every corner of your mind.” “You couldn’t stop yourself from running errands for her. But did you spend even a single second thinking about how that would make me feel?” Lucas opened his mouth, but no words came out. “You didn’t think about me at all,” I answered for him. “Or maybe you did, but you simply didn’t care.” “That’s not true…” “I’m not finished,” I cut him off. “You told me I don’t work a real job. In your eyes, I’m just a useless housewife living off your charity, someone who has no right to question you.” His face flushed crimson, then turned pale. Finally, he snapped, “What do you want from me then?! Do you want me to drop to my knees and beg for forgiveness? Do you want me to block Brenda right now? Name it, and I’ll do it!” “No need,” I stood up calmly. “Tomorrow morning at nine, meet me at the courthouse for divorce filing.” Lucas shot up from his seat, shouting, “Are you out of your mind?! You want a divorce over a stupid misunderstanding?!” “I didn’t sleep with her!” He roared at the top of his lungs. I looked at him with complete detachment. “Lucas, maybe you didn’t physically cheat, but you lost your way.” “And I am not your GPS. I have zero obligation to stand around waiting for you to recalibrate.” Lucas slammed the door so hard on his way out that the wall art shuddered. By late afternoon, the doorbell rang. “Josie!” Lucas’s younger sister, Ellie, stood outside carrying a bouquet of fresh white lilies. I stepped aside to let her in. “Did Lucas send you?” She gave me a timid, awkward smile. “My brother is terrible with words. He was terrified he’d say the wrong thing and make it worse, so he begged me to come over and smooth things over. Honestly, Josie, aren’t you being a little too sensitive? My brother is just a pushover who can’t say no. He doesn’t have a devious bone in his body.” I looked at her without saying a word. “Look, let me be real with you,” Ellie continued, pulling out all the stops. “No matter what, doesn’t he hand his paycheck over to you every month? As long as a man hasn’t actually cheated on you in bed, you should just turn a blind eye.” I let out a faint, dry laugh. “Ellie, if your husband was emotionally cheating on you, would you just turn a blind eye?” Ellie waved her hand dismissively. “Emotional cheating isn’t real cheating. You can’t even take that to court. Why get so hung up on it?” I looked deep into her eyes and spoke in a low, measured voice. “How about I call your husband right now and tell him about your emotional affair with your college ex? Want to bet if he’ll get hung up on it?” Ellie’s smile evaporated instantly. Her face turned ghost-white. “When the knife isn’t sticking into your own chest, it’s easy to tell someone else not to bleed,” I said quietly. “You’re telling me to let it go only because you aren’t the one getting stabbed.” Before she could form a reply, an unknown number vibrated frantically on my phone screen. I answered and put it on speaker. “Josie!” It was Brenda’s voice, hyperventilating and sob-riddled. “Lucas is in terrible shape! His life is in danger!”

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1 On the morning of my wedding, my father had just stepped out of the master bathroom in our new marital condo. My fiancée’s younger sworn brother raised a bottle of industrial-strength bleach and sprayed it straight into my father’s face. “Can’t you read the sign on the door? It clearly says ‘Outsiders Strictly Prohibited.’ You better sanitize yourself. Who knows what filthy diseases you brought from your trashy backwoods town?” The acrid bleach dripped down my father’s weathered, calloused face. Rage boiled in my chest, but before I could take a step, my fiancée, Summer, pinched her nose in sheer disgust. “Sean, tell your dad to apologize to Jayden right now! He has zero boundaries. He’s completely stressing my brother out.” Jayden was her sworn brother, a trashy bar leech who hung out with her every single night. She didn’t find that worthless boy toy filthy at all, yet she treated her future father-in-law, the man who had drained his entire life savings to buy this condo outright for us, like toxic waste. “It’s my fault… I didn’t know the rules. I’ll go scrub the toilet clean right now…” My dad’s eyes were bloodshot. He wiped at the burning bleach with his sleeve and tugged gently on my cuff, his voice trembling. “It’s your big day, son. Don’t let me ruin the wedding.” I looked at his swollen, red-rimmed eyes. Slowly, I pulled out my phone and dialed the wedding coordinator. “Cancel the reception. The wedding is off.” I had played the loyal dog in this relationship for five long years. Today, I was finally going to be a man again. … The moment I ended the call, Summer snatched my phone out of my hand. “He’s just talking out of his ass! The wedding is on as scheduled. If anyone dares to tear down the stage, I’ll sue your company!” The coordinator on the line hesitated, terrified. I reclaimed my phone and spoke into the receiver, my voice steady as stone. “Do as I said. I will cover all breach-of-contract fees.” Summer raised her hand to slap me across the face. I caught her wrist in mid-air and shoved her back. Jayden whipped out his smartphone, aiming the camera straight at us. “Viewers, are you seeing this?” he yelled into his livestream. “The backwoods father-in-law violated the bride’s private bathroom, and now the groom is getting physical!” “A trashy family like this is a total nightmare to marry into!” Comments flooded the screen in a fast flurry. Summer glanced at the phone screen and immediately stepped in front of Jayden like a bodyguard. “Jayden makes his living from livestreaming! Don’t you dare ruin his career!” My father held onto the wall, feeling his way toward the bathroom sink. “Give me some water… My eyes are burning so bad I can’t open them.” Jayden spread his arms, blocking the bathroom doorway completely. “The kitchen sink is reserved for washing the champagne flutes for the toast,” Jayden sneered. “If your filthy hands touch it, we’ll have to throw the whole set away.” “There’s a public restroom downstairs. Go wash your face down there.” I lunged forward, grabbed Jayden by the throat, and slammed him violently against the wall. “If anything happens to my father’s eyes, I’m going to rip you apart! Get the hell out of my way!” Summer rushed over, trying to pry my fingers off him. “Sean, are you out of your mind?!” “My brother is just doing this for everyone’s health!” I twisted the faucet open and scooped icy water, frantically splashing it over my father’s face. My dad could barely stand from the intense pain, yet his trembling hand kept gripping the hem of my jacket. “Don’t fight, son… Everyone here is a guest. Don’t make us a laughingstock.” Jayden smirked and pushed his phone camera right into my father’s face. “Hey old man, clarify it for the stream. Why did you use that toilet when there was a massive sign right on the door?” My dad opened his mouth, stammering through the pain. “Last night… Summer sent me a text saying the guest bathroom was clogged, so she told me to use this one…” “Dad!” Summer cut him off sharply, her voice piercing. “If you made a mistake, just own up to it! Don’t throw me under the bus!” She whirled around to glare at me. “Your dad forgets things all the time. You wouldn’t seriously take his word over mine, would you?” My father lowered his head, sinking into silence. I dialed 911 for an ambulance. Summer slammed her hand down over my screen. “Calling an ambulance on our wedding day? Are you intentionally trying to humiliate me?” “That bleach was diluted ages ago! What could possibly happen?” “Tell your dad to tough it out for two hours. He can go to the hospital after the ceremony.” I shoved her arm away, my voice dropping into a dangerous growl. “Is your precious vanity worth more than a human life? If anything happens to my father, neither you nor Jayden will walk away from this!” Fifteen minutes later, the paramedics rushed through the door. The nurse pried my father’s eyelid open, took one look, and immediately gestured for the gurney. “Severe chemical burn! We need to flush his eyes and treat him right now!” Jayden quickly kicked the bottle of bleach under the sofa. I bent down, retrieved it, and handed it straight to the paramedic. The nurse glanced at the label on the bottle, then took a quick sniff at the cap. “This isn’t household diluted bleach. This is pure, unadulterated chemical fluid. Treat it as raw concentrate!” Summer’s face drained of color. She whipped her head around, glaring furiously at Jayden. Jayden instantly shut down his livestream. “Sis… I just wanted to scare him a little. How was I supposed to know rural old men are so fragile?” As the gurney rolled toward the front door, Summer refused to move out of the way. She stared at me, biting her lip until it turned white. “Sean, if you walk out that door with that ambulance today, we are officially done.” I slammed my shoulder into her, shoving her aside, and stepped into the elevator with the paramedics. The moment the elevator doors closed, my phone buzzed with a notification from my smart home hub. Local security footage batch deletion detected. Restore cloud backup? I tapped confirm immediately. A progress bar popped up on the screen: Restoring footage. Do not disconnect from network. At the hospital, the doctor spent forty minutes flushing my father’s eyes before calling a halt. “Left corneal chemical burn. He needs to be hospitalized for observation.” “His vision will be severely impaired over the next few days. Full recovery depends on follow-up evaluations.” My father fumbled in his pocket, pulled out his worn bank card, and shoved it into my hand. “Don’t ruin your marriage because of me, son… Go back to the venue.” “There are nurses here. I can handle myself.” I slipped the card back into his coat pocket. My phone vibrated dozens of times. Summer didn’t send a single text asking about my father’s condition. Instead, she sent a spreadsheet titled: Marital Condo Pollution Damages Itemization. Smart toilet replacement fee: $12,000. Full-house chemical decontamination fee: $5,000. Destroyed wedding glassware fee: $2,000. Wedding delay damages: $15,000. The bottom line read: To be voluntarily covered by Sean’s father. Jayden immediately followed up with a voice note. “Get your old man to sign the authorization and transfer the cash, and we’ll call it even.” “My sister is being more than generous. Anyone else would have called the cops on him for property destruction already.” I blocked his number without typing a single word. A short while later, Summer’s mother arrived at the hospital accompanied by two attorneys. She slammed a legal agreement directly onto my chest. “Summer has always been a clean freak!” “She doesn’t hate your father, she’s just terrified that an unhygienic old man will bring dangerous bacteria to her future children!” “If you truly love her, you can’t just care about your father’s feelings!” The agreement contained twelve strict clauses. My father was strictly forbidden from stepping foot inside our condo after the wedding. He was forbidden from using any family utensils or bathrooms. He was forbidden from having any contact with future grandchildren. Before attending any family gathering, he had to provide a full infectious disease medical report. Finally, it demanded that my father record a video statement admitting that the bleach bottle contained nothing but tap water. Summer’s mother pushed an inkpad toward the bedside table. “Get your father to put his thumbprint on this.” “Once Summer cools off, you can still rush back to the venue and finish the ceremony.” My father reached out his trembling hand, about to press his thumb down. I let out a cold scoff, grabbed the agreement, and ripped it straight down the middle. Summer’s mother slapped her knees, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Your father gets a little scratch and you stop respecting your mother-in-law?!” “Summer gave you five years of her life! Where is your conscience?!” “She gave you her youth!” Hearing those words, my father struggled to sit up from the hospital bed. “I’ll sign it… Don’t let your mother-in-law ruin your name, son.” I pushed him gently back onto the mattress. At that exact moment, a video notification popped up in our extended family group chat. My aunt was standing at the back entrance of the wedding hall along with all the guests from my side of the family. In front of every guest sat a plastic bin. Venue staff members were ordering them to strip off their jackets, remove their jewelry, and dump their personal belongings inside for chemical spraying. My aunt was cradling a folded silk satin quilt in her arms. It was the special quilt my mother had hand-stitched before she passed away. She hadn’t lived to see me get married. My father had kept that quilt locked away in his wardrobe for years, only letting my aunt bring it out today for the traditional wedding blessing. Jayden snatched the quilt out of my aunt’s arms and pumped an industrial misting sprayer over it a dozen times. “Old cotton is packed with bedbugs and mites!” “How dare you bring a trashy biohazard like this to a high-end wedding?” Without another word, he crammed the precious handmade quilt straight into a heavy-duty trash bag. Hearing the background audio from the video, my father panicked, trying to scramble out of bed. His knee slammed hard against the bedframe with a loud crack. “Get the quilt back… That’s the last thing your mother left us…” Summer’s call came through on my phone. “Sean, Jayden is doing a live promotional showcase for a professional sanitation brand right now.” “This single sponsorship deal is going to net him over two hundred thousand dollars.” “Tell your cheap relatives to cooperate. It’s not going to kill them.” I looked at the guest protocol document she had attached. Only the guests from the groom’s side were subjected to the forced decontamination line. Under the guest category, four words were explicitly typed: Rural Sample Group. I hung up the phone, tapped into my cloud storage, and checked the restoration progress of the security footage. The wedding coordinator called one more time to confirm if they should tear down the stage. Looking at the seven fully restored high-definition video files on my screen, I changed my mind. “Cancel the ceremony, but do not tear down the venue setup.” “Keep the main LED screens, the live broadcast gear, and the audio systems fully powered up. I will cover all venue rental fees.” I forwarded the seven video files directly to the venue’s master screen operator. “When the event starts, play these videos in the exact sequence I numbered them.” The operator asked nervously, “Do you need me to edit out any private conversations?” I replied with four words: Not a single second. Meanwhile, Jayden had restarted his live stream. He had edited the clip of my father bending over the sink to wash his face, posting it with a bold headline: Rural Father-in-Law Hijacks Bride’s Private Master Bath, Fakes Injury to Extort Money. He had completely edited out the footage of him spraying concentrated bleach. In the live stream, he held up the empty plastic bottle, putting on a righteous performance. “This bottle contained nothing but plain tap water!” “The old man said all those crazy lies just to force the bride to surrender!” Summer sat right beside him, sighing deeply into the camera lens. “Sean is a dutiful son, I understand that,” she said, looking sorrowful. “But filial piety needs boundaries.” “Marriage involves two families. The older generation needs to learn to respect the lifestyle of young people.” The viral clip quickly made its way into my father’s workplace group chat. My dad had worked as a commercial janitor at a downtown shopping mall for over fifteen years. His supervisor called him immediately, telling him to suspend his shifts. “Customers saw the video and filed formal complaints,” the supervisor said coldly. “People are saying you carry infectious diseases.” “Stay home until this whole mess is cleared up.” My father held the phone, sitting in dead silence for a long time. While I stepped out to fetch his prescription from the hospital pharmacy, he asked a floor nurse to help him record a video on his phone. When I walked back into the room, he was trembling, reading aloud from a written script Jayden had texted him. “It was my fault for being unhygienic…” “The bottle contained tap water…” “My daughter-in-law never mistreated me. I shouldn’t have used her private…” I snatched the phone out of his hands and deleted the recording on the spot. My father grabbed my wrists frantically. “Post it, son! Taking a little humiliation is nothing to me. Don’t ruin your entire future over my broken ego!” I slipped the phone into my pocket and held his trembling hands tightly. “Dad, you did nothing wrong. Why should you apologize to those parasites?” “If a woman can’t even respect you, this marriage isn’t worth a damn thing.” Summer called me yet again. On the other end of the line, she sniffled, putting on a sobbing voice, yet every word out of her mouth hurled blame at me. “Sean, I’ve been cleaning up your messes this whole time!” “You beat up Jayden, and I didn’t call the police on you!” “You talked back to my mother, and I kept keeping the peace!” “Your dad ruined my dream wedding, and I’m still willing to wait for you!” “Where did I ever wrong you?!” I read the doctor’s official diagnosis report right into the receiver: “Severe Chemical Ocular Trauma.” She went silent for a few seconds, but her tone remained icy and detached. “The doctor said he’ll recover! He’s not blind! Are you seriously going to throw away our five-year relationship over a minor injury?” She paused, then added in a commanding tone, “If you step onto the stage today, apologize for what happened, and publicly clarify that your dad doesn’t have any infectious diseases, I am still willing to marry you.” “However, after we get married, we live completely separate lives. Without my explicit permission, he is never allowed to see our future children.” I asked her in a cold voice, “Is all of this for my own good too?” She didn’t hesitate for a split second. “Of course! An old man shouldn’t become a parasite in our marriage!” I looked at the seven video files arranged neatly in my upload queue and spoke with eerie tranquility. “Fine. See you at the venue.” I hung up the phone. My father grabbed the sleeve of my suit jacket, his eyes filled with worry. “Sean, don’t go there to fight people… I’m not worth ruining your life over.” I placed his hand back under the warm blanket. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m not going to fight anyone.” “I’m just going to attend the public launch event she spent so much time preparing for herself.” At the entrance of the grand ballroom, a full decontamination arch had been set up. A security guard blocked my path. “Groom’s family and guests must register first.” “Disinfect shoe soles, step through the mist chamber, and put your smartphone in the UV sanitizer cabinet.” My footsteps paused. I leveled a deadly glare at him. The guard raised an industrial misting gun, aiming it straight at my face. “Miss Summer explicitly instructed us that even the groom doesn’t get an exemption.” The venue manager sprinted over, slamming the guard’s misting gun down to the floor. “Mr. Sean paid the venue rental fees out of his own pocket! Anyone who dares block him gets fired on the spot!” I strode into the main hall. Summer was already standing on the elevated stage, wearing her elaborate lace wedding dress. The massive LED backdrop behind her was covered in promotional ads for the commercial sanitation brand Jayden was endorsing. When she caught sight of me, she wiped a tear from her cheek. “I knew you’d come back to me.” Jayden signaled two assistants to roll a commercial misting machine over. He thrust a wireless microphone into my hand. “Hey brother-in-law, do a quick demonstration for the audience!” “Step into the mist chamber to sanitize yourself, then make a public apology on behalf of your old man.” I looked at the active livestream camera, nodding slowly. “Sure.” “Let’s get this started.” The assistant opened the hatch of the misting chamber. Summer stepped down from the stage, grabbing my hand tightly. “As long as you admit your mistake today, I won’t hold a grudge.” “We will exchange rings as planned, and you’ll still be my husband.” She shoved a printed legal commitment agreement into my palm. Clause 1: The marital condo will be managed exclusively by Summer. Clause 2: Sean’s father is strictly prohibited from entering under any circumstances. Clause 3: All relatives on the groom’s side must undergo full medical checks and chemical sanitation before visiting. Clause 4: Sean is strictly forbidden from publicly disclosing anything that transpired today. Clause 5: Sean must fully compensate Jayden for the financial losses caused by his interrupted stream. Summer pressed her hand against the final signature page. “Sign it, and we’re still family.” Summer’s mother walked over, putting on a fake gentle smile. “A man swallowing his pride isn’t a crime, Sean.” “How many years does your father have left anyway?” “Summer is the one who’s going to spend the rest of your life with you.” Jayden zoomed the livestream camera right into my face. “Brother-in-law, don’t keep hundreds of thousands of viewers waiting!” “In front of everyone, state clearly that the bottle contained plain water.” I raised the microphone to my lips. “Was that bottle really just filled with water?” Summer checked the live viewer count on the monitor. It had just crossed four hundred thousand active viewers. She nodded firmly. “Yes!” “No matter how naive Jayden is, he would never spray raw chemical concentrate on an elder!” “Your dad’s medical report doesn’t prove we caused the injury! He works as a mall janitor anyway, who knows what toxic chemicals he touches on the job every day?” Several guests in the front row nodded in agreement. The corporate brand representative sat in the center of the first row, holding up his phone to record the moment. Jayden smirked at me, winking arrogantly. “You heard her, didn’t you?” “My sister is still trying to save your face even now!” “Any other woman would have sent you and your trashy father straight to jail!” I tossed the commitment agreement onto the table. Summer offered me a pen. I waved my hand dismissively. “I prepared an apology video of my own.” “Let’s play it first, then I’ll sign.” Jayden’s eyes lit up with excitement. “See? Was it really that hard to be reasonable?” He waved frantically at the media control booth. “Throw the groom’s video up on the main screen!” Summer smoothed down her wedding gown and stepped back onto the center stage. She picked up the velvet ring box, posing gracefully for the livestream camera. “There were a lot of misunderstandings today,” she spoke softly into her lapel mic. “But I am willing to forgive Sean.” “Marriage requires patience and grace. I am willing to help him fix the deep-rooted issues from his toxic background.” The massive LED screen behind her flashed brightly. However, my apology video didn’t appear. Instead, the timestamp on the video displayed: 7:00 PM, The Night Before the Wedding. The video showed Summer standing at the master bathroom door of our new condo. She ripped off the ‘Guest Bathroom’ sign from the door, replacing it with a fresh plaque: Outsiders Strictly Prohibited. Jayden stood right behind her, holding an unopened bottle of commercial bleach. “Are we seriously going to spray this right in the old man’s face?” Summer pressed the new sign flat against the wood, without even turning her head. “Stand back a little, it won’t kill him.” “The brand sponsor demands drama and conflict for the campaign. The bigger the outrage, the higher our traffic stream.” “I’ll text Sean tonight saying the guest bathroom is broken.” “Tomorrow morning, I’ll trick his dad into coming over early. The old man will definitely use this bathroom.” Jayden unscrewed the cap of the bleach bottle. “What if Sean loses his mind over it?” Summer let out a nasty, arrogant laugh. “He’s been my loyal dog for five straight years. He doesn’t have the balls to walk away.” “After the drama blows up, I’ll throw him a few sweet words, and he’ll still end up paying for our event promotion fees!” The entire audience in the hall froze, every head whipping around to stare at her. The livestream chat paused for one terrifying second, then exploded into a chaotic waterfall of outrage. Summer dropped the ring box, scrambling wildly toward the control booth. “Turn it off!” “Shut the screen off right now!” I gripped her shoulder with an iron grip, shoving her back onto the center of the stage. “What’s the rush?” “That was only video number one.” The brand representative in the front row stood up abruptly, pulling out his phone and shouting into the receiver: “Do NOT cut the livestream!” “Get legal and the police down here right now!”

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1 Patrick insisted on bringing my best friend, Vanessa, on our weekend getaway to Disneyland. The moment we met up at the parking lot, he tossed the car keys into my lap. “You drive. I need to sit in the back and take photos for Vanessa.” Vanessa laughed playfully, punching his arm. “Where are your manners, Patrick? Making your girlfriend drive while you wait on me in the back? That looks terrible.” Patrick let out a helpless chuckle. “Sadie is my girlfriend, but you’re my royalty. How could that ever be the same thing?” In the three years we had been dating, Patrick had never once taken a photo of me on his own initiative. On my birthday last year, I put on full makeup and begged him softly, “Just one picture, please?” He held up his phone, clicked twice without even looking, and handed it back to me with a sigh. “You’re just not photogenic. No angle looks good on you.” Yet his camera roll was overflowing with candid shots of Vanessa. Her profile while eating dinner, the exact second she turned around to laugh, her hair blowing gently in the wind. Hundreds of photos, and every single one was stunning. Sitting in the front seat, I listened as they chatted about concerts I had never attended and giggled over high school classmates I didn’t know. Their laughter filled the car, and I couldn’t squeeze a single word into the conversation. I rolled down the window just an inch. The cool wind rushed in, making my eyes sting with unshed tears. This three-year one-woman show… I was completely done performing. … I pulled the car over right outside the park restrooms, stepping inside to change my pad. The whole thing took less than three minutes. When I came back out, the entrance was empty except for a park worker in a mascot costume. Patrick and Vanessa were gone. The two people who promised to wait for me had disappeared without a trace. It was fine. I was used to it by now. I pulled out my phone and dialed Patrick’s number. It rang for a full minute before he finally picked up. The background noise was deafening, filled with high-pitched screams. “Where are you guys?” “Vanessa wanted to ride the TRON coaster. The line wasn’t too long, so I brought her over first.” Vanessa’s voice rang out in the background. “Hurry up! We’re almost at the front!” A dull, throb of cramps hit my lower abdomen, like a blunt needle being slowly twisted inside me. “My stomach hurts really bad. Can you come pick me up?” “I have to stay in line with Vanessa! Don’t you have legs?” Patrick snapped impatiently. “It’s just your period. Do you really have to be this dramatic?” Vanessa’s voice suddenly chimed in over the speaker. “Who gave you permission to talk to my Sadie like that? You’re asking for a beating!” The two of them began playful banter over the line, with Patrick laughingly begging for mercy. They completely forgot the call was still connected. One was the man I had dated for three years. The other was the best friend I had known for seven. Neither of them cared enough to ask if I was in pain. After a long while, Vanessa finally panted into the phone, “Bestie, I gave him a piece of my mind for you!” I bit my lip hard, my voice barely audible. “Thanks.” Vanessa shouted at Patrick, “Apologize to my Sadie right now!” She commanded him like a trained puppy. Patrick sounded thoroughly reluctant. “Fine, fine. For Vanessa’s sake, I won’t hold a grudge against you.” “There’s a dark ride right near you. Go stand in line for us. Vanessa and I will meet you there after this.” Before I could answer, the line went dead. I looked at the line winding around the corner, walked over, and took my place at the back. I stood under the scorching sun for nearly two hours, sweat soaking through the back of my shirt. The dull ache in my abdomen gradually sharpened into a tearing pain. Still, I held on until Patrick and Vanessa finally strolled over. They were sharing a single sun umbrella, laughing and chatting, with Vanessa practically glued to Patrick’s arm. Patrick tilted his head to listen to her, slanting the umbrella almost entirely over her side. I had brought an umbrella in my bag that morning, but Patrick had glanced at it with disgust, complaining it was too heavy and forcing me to leave it behind. Yet when it came to Vanessa’s umbrella, he didn’t seem to mind the weight at all. A bitter chill rushed through my chest. Patrick walked up to me and handed over a plastic cup. Condensation ran down the sides, and ice cubes clinked loudly inside. “Vanessa said you’d be thirsty after waiting so long, so she specifically bought this iced boba tea to cool you down.” The drink was ice-cold, so cold that my heart froze along with it. When I didn’t reach for it, Patrick helpfully popped the straw in and shoved it toward my mouth. “You only waited a little while. Come on, don’t throw a fit.” My hands went limp, and the plastic cup plummeted straight to the pavement. The milk tea splashed everywhere, brown liquid pooling on the concrete as ice cubes rolled across the ground. Vanessa let out a sharp gasp, bending down immediately to clean it up. Patrick yanked her back by her arm and roared at me, “What the hell is wrong with you?! Vanessa was nice enough to buy you a drink, who do you think you are?!” Vanessa crouched down, her fingers hovering over the puddle, looking as if she were on the verge of tears. I spoke softly, my voice devoid of emotion. “I am on my period. Did both of you somehow forget that?” Patrick’s entire face stiffened, his grip on Vanessa loosening. He knelt down on one knee, using his jacket sleeve to gently wipe the splashed liquid off my heels. His tone softened instantly. “Alright, don’t be mad. It was my fault, I remembered wrong.” I had mentioned it clearly over the phone just an hour ago. A deep wave of helplessness washed over me. He was always like this. After inflicting harm, he would throw me a tiny crumb of tenderness. As if to say, See? I still care about you. Seeing that I remained silent, Patrick stood up with a smile and rubbed my head, like he was petting a stray cat that had finally decided to be obedient. “I knew my Sadie was the sweetest. Here, drink this warm one.” He offered me another cup. It was a cup of hot cocoa that Vanessa had already been drinking. A faint smear of pink lipstick was clearly visible on the straw. I looked at the straw, unable to tell whether he did this on purpose or simply didn’t care enough to notice. Over the past three years, I had received so many second-hand items. Food Vanessa didn’t like, things she was done using, gifts she was bored of. He always offered everything to Vanessa first. Only when she rejected it would he hand it over to me, saying, “These are all nice things, don’t be picky, Sadie.” Terrified of wasting things, I had swallowed my pride and accepted them every single time. But this time, I truly didn’t want it anymore. I walked over and tossed the hot cocoa directly into a nearby trash bin. Then I pulled out my phone and opened the official email from Imperial College London. I took a deep breath and tapped the confirmation button to accept my offer. The Space Mountain, the Soarin’ ride, the Pixar coaster… For the rest of the day, Patrick carried Vanessa’s bags, accompanying her on every single ride she wanted to try. All three of our heavy backpacks were hung around my shoulders, the straps digging deep into my collarbones. Walking in high heels, the sharp cramps in my stomach never ceased. I was forced to slow my pace, gradually falling a couple of yards behind them. Vanessa turned around and called out, “Sadie, hurry up!” Only then did Patrick glance back at me. His gaze slid from my pale face down to my feet, his eyebrows pulling into a tight knot. “We’re just walking around Disney, why on earth did you wear high heels?” “Sadie, you need to learn when it’s appropriate to show off.” I looked down at the pale pink heels on my feet. Patrick had personally chosen them for me. The subtle shimmer on the leather had looked exactly like the light in his eyes back then. I had grown up in a single-parent home with my mother, wearing hand-me-down clothes from relatives. The very first pair of high heels I ever owned was a gift from Patrick. That day, he had dropped to one knee, gently cradling my ankle as he slipped the shoe onto my foot, looking up with a soft smile. “Only beautiful shoes like these are worthy of my Sadie.” “Wear them for me every day from now on. Whenever your feet get tired, I’ll carry you.” Yet now, he found my shoes ostentatious and completely out of place. And the person resting on his back was no longer me. I stared at the tips of my shoes for a long moment, my throat dry as dust. “I won’t wear them anymore.” Never again. Vanessa threw Patrick a playful, scolding glare. “Sadie, don’t mind Patrick’s blunt words. He’s just worried about you. Walking all day in heels is exhausting! My feet hurt just looking at you.” She paused, then added smoothly, “Why don’t you just take them off? Walking barefoot is actually pretty comfortable. Besides, it’s not like anyone is looking at you anyway.” Passersby turned their heads, watching our small confrontation with curious eyes. I pulled my hem down to hide the raw blisters on my ankles, squeezing out a humiliating, “No thanks.” Patrick’s tone turned completely indifferent. “Leave her alone. She grew up struggling, she isn’t used to delicate treatment.” He wasn’t wrong. When I first got my period as a young girl, we were too poor to afford proper pads, so I had to layer toilet paper over and over again. When I started college, I would debate for twenty minutes over ordering a four-dollar meat dish in the cafeteria. Until Patrick entered my life. He had dragged me to the dining hall, declaring, “Whatever I eat, you eat.” In just one month, he helped me gain six pounds. I couldn’t even bring myself to hate him completely. There was only a dull, aching numbness left in my chest. In the distance, the fairytale castle lit up as the loudspeakers announced that the fireworks display would begin in five minutes. Patrick lifted Vanessa up onto his shoulders, pushing through the dense crowd. I was a step too slow, separated from them by a wall of people. Three, two, one. The night sky exploded into brilliant color. Fireworks burst into thousands of glittering stars, blanketing the dark sky above the castle. The falling embers looked just like the meteor shower during my sophomore year. Back then, it was freezing on the hilltop. Vanessa had taken off her heavy winter coat and wrapped it tightly around me. I had hugged her, asking, “Aren’t you cold?” She had shivered with a wide grin. “I have plenty of insulation! Protecting my girl Sadie is what matters most.” She caught a terrible cold after that night, and Patrick and I took turns bringing her hot meals in her dorm. One afternoon, she pinched my cheek gently. “Silly Sadie, don’t be so good to me. I’m scared that if I ever do something bad, you’ll be heartbroken.” Yet the person who once claimed she was scared of breaking my heart was now wrapped in my boyfriend’s arms, watching the fireworks. The crowd around me cheered and gasped. Vanessa excitedly tugged at Patrick’s sleeve. “Take a picture! Quick, take one!” Patrick held up his camera, snapping photos of her as the bursting light illuminated both their faces. Vanessa took the camera, looked at the screen, and pouted. “You took such an ugly picture of me!” Patrick leaned in close. “You look adorable.” “You!” Vanessa hit his chest playfully. “Retake it! Let’s take a couple’s photo this time!” Patrick naturally wrapped his arm around Vanessa’s waist, resting his chin lightly on top of her head. By the time they finished snapping photos, the fireworks show had come to an end. Patrick glanced over at me, suddenly speaking up. “You should take a photo too. It’s rare for us to come all the way here.” I froze for a second. It was a rare moment for him to offer to take my picture. I smoothed down my messy hair, stepping timidly toward the castle backdrop. Patrick raised his phone, clicked once without care, and lowered his arm. “Done.” Vanessa leaned over to look at his screen, her expression turning complicated. “This one… it’s completely blurry.” Patrick glanced at it casually. “Oh, my hand shook. Want another one?” I rasped out, my voice raspy, “No need.” My phone vibrated in my palm. It was a voice note from my mother. I held the speaker to my ear. “Sadie, sweetie, are you having fun at Disney?” The night wind blew past, making my eyes sting. I squeezed my fist tight, typing back: I’m having a great time, Mom. Did Patrick take nice pictures of you? Send some to Mom! I stared at the screen, typed a line of text, and deleted it. Finally, I replied: Yes, he took some. Then I typed another line and hit send. Mom, if someone takes really beautiful photos of a person, is it because they’re a good photographer, or because they love that person? My mother replied almost instantly: Because they love them, of course! You can only capture true beauty when you love someone. Silly girl, why are you asking that? A bitter smile tugged at my lips. Nothing, Mom. Just curious. I locked my screen, suddenly feeling that everything around me was utterly meaningless. I turned my head to look at Patrick, my voice as light as a feather. “Patrick, let me break up with you.” At that exact moment, the loud exit music blasted from the castle speakers, completely drowning out my words. Patrick tilted his head toward me, frowning as he leaned in. “What did you say?” Forget it. It didn’t matter anymore. The fairytale wasn’t over yet, but it was time for me to take my leave. The moment I got back to our apartment, I booked a one-way flight and began pulling out my suitcases. Just as I unzipped my bag, a banking notification popped up on my phone screen. An unauthorized transfer of twelve thousand dollars had just cleared. That account held my entire tuition savings, money I had earned over four years of working grueling shifts as a waitress. Only Patrick and I knew the password. My heart sank into a dark abyss. I threw open the bedroom door. Patrick was sitting on the living room couch playing video games. Vanessa was lounging right beside him, her legs casually resting across his lap. I stormed over, confronting Patrick directly. “Did you touch my money?!” “Vanessa is launching a start-up business. I transferred some funds over for her initial overhead.” My voice began to tremble violently. “Did you discuss it with me?! Did you even ask for my permission?!” Patrick let out a cold scoff. “It’s just twelve grand. I don’t even have the right to move that tiny amount?” That twelve thousand dollars was my only safety net for studying abroad. Without that money, I wouldn’t survive a single month in London. I wouldn’t even be able to afford my return flight home! How dare he? How dare he touch it! I shook with fury. “That is my tuition money! I worked grueling double shifts, working through every single summer and winter break without going home once, just to save that money!” He waved his hand with sheer impatience. “Are you serious right now? It’s not like the money evaporated.” “Sadie, be reasonable for once! Vanessa is your best friend. What’s wrong with helping her out when she’s short on cash for a start-up?” I let out a tragic, hollow laugh. “Patrick, whose boyfriend are you really?” Patrick looked at me with an exhausted expression, as if looking at a spoiled, unreasonable child. He pulled a paper contract off the coffee table and handed it to me. “Forget about grad school. With your family’s financial situation, you can’t afford that lifestyle anyway.” “I already lined up a job for you. Go complete your onboarding tomorrow.” I looked down at the paper. A manual shift worker contract for an assembly plant, paying three hundred dollars a month. On the signature line for Employee, Patrick had already signed my name on my behalf. My voice shook uncontrollably. “In your eyes, I’m only worthy of a job like this?” Patrick let out a heavy sigh. “You have an ordinary state degree. You should be grateful someone is willing to hire you.” “You can’t expect me to support you for the rest of your life, can you? Vanessa’s family can afford to put her through higher education. Can yours?” I stared at Patrick, feeling as though my chest had been ripped open with a blunt blade. During my sophomore year, when I first mentioned wanting to pursue a master’s degree, he had stayed up all night helping me research universities. Back then, he had kissed my forehead tenderly, saying, “Go for it! I’ll fund your studies, even if you want to go all the way to a Ph.D.!” It turned out the expiration date on that promise was only three short years. Vanessa spoke up in a soft, timid voice, “Sadie, please don’t blame him. I promise I’ll pay the money back. I’ll go look for a part-time job tomorrow.” “What part-time job?” Patrick interrupted her sharply. “Your ankle hasn’t even healed yet and you want to work? Do you not care about your health?” The corner of Vanessa’s mouth twitched upward in a subtle, triumphant smile. “Then… Sadie, can you just bear with it for a few more days, please?” Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over, but I forced them back with every ounce of my willpower. I refused to cry in front of them. “Give me the money back. Right now.” Patrick froze for a moment. “I don’t have that much liquid cash on hand right now.” “Then go take out a loan!” Patrick’s face darkened completely. “Has money completely corrupted your mind? Are you living your life with cash, or are you living it with me?!” Before I could say another word, he grabbed my arm, shoved me out of the bedroom, and slammed the door shut. “We’ll talk about the money tomorrow! Vanessa isn’t feeling well, she needs to rest!” CLICK. The door locked from the inside. I stood alone in the dark hallway, feeling the sheer absurdity of the situation. A person who grew up terrified of poverty worked for four long years just to build a path to freedom. And in a single fraction of a second, Patrick had taken the path I built over four years and handed it to Vanessa on a silver platter. Late into the night. Lying on my bed, I could hear Vanessa crying softly in the adjacent room. As long as she cried, Patrick stayed by her side, whispering sweet comforts. Gradually, the tears turned into hushed giggles, until finally, I heard Patrick say in a low, husky voice, “Stop squirming around…” I stared at the white ceiling, the sharp pain in my heart slowly numbing into dead silence. I pulled out my phone and clicked on Patrick’s profile. Pinned at the top of his feed was a photo he had posted just an hour ago. Under the exploding fireworks, he and Vanessa were smiling brightly at the camera. Someone in the comment section had asked: Is this your new girlfriend? Patrick had replied: She’s the most important person in my life. Right. He was never a man who lacked romance. It was simply that he reserved all his devotion, passion, and romance for someone else. While my distress, my future, and my pain meant absolutely nothing to him. At the first light of dawn, my phone rang violently. It was my mother, her voice trembling with sheer panic. “Sadie! Where were you last night?! A girl called me claiming you owe her money and won’t pay it back, and that you’re driving her to commit suicide!” “What on earth are you doing out there?! Mom is terrified to death…” It felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. “What else did she say to you?” My mother’s voice was shaking uncontrollably. “She said… she said you’re working as a homewrecker, stealing her boyfriend and ruining her life… Sadie, please tell Mom the truth, okay?” I bit down hard on my inner cheek, my chest suffocating with rage. My mother suffered from severe high blood pressure. Stress could literally kill her. Vanessa did this on purpose. I couldn’t even bear to imagine how terrified my mother must have been when she picked up that call. I swallowed my rage, keeping my voice gentle. “Mom, she’s lying to you. She’s the one who stole my money.” My mother grew even more panicked. “Why didn’t you tell me?! Are you struggling for cash out there and suffering all alone?” I choked back a sob. “I’m not short on cash. Please don’t worry about taking on extra manual labor shifts, Mom. I can support you.” “I’ll text you the full story in a little bit.” I threw open the bedroom door, marched over to the bed, and yanked Vanessa up by her hair. “Did you call my mother?!” Vanessa shrank back against the headboard, putting on a frightened face. “I… I was just worried about you!” “What did you say to her?!” Vanessa pursed her lips, staying silent. Patrick immediately stepped between us, pushing me back. “Vanessa was just being thoughtful—” “I asked you what you said to my mother!” I screamed. Vanessa’s voice dropped to a tiny whisper. “I just… I just wanted to send my regards to her…” I didn’t miss the subtle flash of triumph across her face. I raised my hand and delivered a sharp, violent slap across her face. The sound echoed crisp and loud through the room. “Seven years of friendship! You couldn’t wait to ruin my life, could you?!” Vanessa’s head snapped to the side from the impact. She closed her eyes and dramatically collapsed backward onto the bed. In the very next second, Patrick lunged forward and shoved me with terrifying force. I lost my balance and tumbled backward, the side of my forehead slamming hard against the sharp edge of the coffee table. Blackness flashed across my vision for a second. I raised my hand and wiped my forehead. My fingers came back soaked in crimson blood. Patrick rushed over to scoop Vanessa into his arms, glaring at me with eyes full of pure hatred as he bellowed, “You are a complete psycho! No wonder your father abandoned you the day you were born!” I froze on the floor, the deepest, most agonizing scar of my life ripped open alive, rubbed with raw salt. He knew better than anyone that my father had abandoned my mother and me when I was a newborn. And he deliberately used that exact knife to stab me. The pain in my chest was so intense I couldn’t catch my breath. Patrick lifted Vanessa into his arms and walked out the front door without looking back once. He didn’t even grant me a single backward glance. I lay on the cold floor for a long time before slowly pushing myself up into a sitting position. My phone screen lit up with a new email notification. Application Approved: Congratulations! You have been accepted to Imperial College London with a Full Merit Scholarship. I looked at the screen, the corners of my mouth curling into a smile as heavy tears finally crashed down my cheeks. How wonderful. I don’t need you anymore. After an unknown amount of time passed, my phone chimed again. It was a text from Patrick. Having settled Vanessa somewhere comfortable, he had finally remembered that I existed back home. I was too hot-headed earlier, babe. Don’t take it to heart. Vanessa is in a terrible mood, so I won’t be coming home tonight. I’ll bring you a delicious breakfast tomorrow morning. Stay home and be good. Three simple lines, casually brushing everything under the rug. I tapped on Patrick’s profile picture, hit block, and confirmed. Patrick, there is no tomorrow for us. I packed my luggage, took one final look at the apartment, turned on my heel, and headed straight for the airport.

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1 My wife Abby’s phone was perpetually on silent. If I ever needed to reach her, I could never get through. I always had to call everyone around her. On our seventh wedding anniversary, we agreed to meet at our usual restaurant. Three hours passed, and she still hadn’t shown up. Running a fever, I stood on the freezing street, dialing one number after another. My dad’s voice was warm: “Abby just came over to my place for some homemade soup. Don’t worry, son, I’m keeping an eye on her for you.” Gavin, my buddy who worked at Abby’s firm, said, “Relax, Jonah. Abby’s right here in our department, running a meeting.” Even my older sister Vivian promised me, “Abby’s with me at the art gallery. I swear I’ll send her home to you in one piece later tonight.” Finally, my daughter Daisy spoke through her smartwatch: “Mommy is taking me and Grandma toy shopping!” Everyone was trying so hard to prove that Abby was with them. None of them knew she was right in front of me. Through the restaurant window, I watched her tenderly pick fish bones out of a dish for the man sitting across from her. I stared at my pathetic reflection in the glass. Suddenly, I realized it was time to pull out the thorn that had been buried in my heart for years. … I pushed open the private dining room door. The laughter inside instantly died, like someone hit pause. The air conditioning blasted cold against my face. My burning fever felt chilled, and my feverish mind started to clear. “Jonah? How did you find us?” Abby was the first to react. I didn’t answer. I scanned the room until my eyes landed on a massive custom cake. On top were three fondant figurines: a woman in a pencil skirt, a man in a crisp white shirt, and a little girl holding hands between them. Abby, Jasper, and my daughter, Daisy. To anyone else, it looked like a picture-perfect, happy family of three. Daisy was leaning on Jasper’s knee. “Daddy Jasper, happy one hundred days post-surgery! Stay healthy forever!” Jasper’s eyes glistened with tears as he rested his hand gently on her head. “Jasper, sweetie, I brought the gift you wanted!” my mother-in-law’s voice called out from behind. And right behind her, the very people who had just sworn Abby was with them, my dad, my sister, my best friend Gavin, walked through the door holding armfuls of gifts. When they saw me standing by the entrance, the smiles froze on their faces. I looked at Abby and asked quietly, “Abby, did you forget today is our seventh anniversary?” My throat was raw and burning. Every word felt like swallowing razor blades. Abby paused, a flash of guilt flitting across her eyes. “I’m sorry. Jasper’s checkup results were great today, so everyone decided to throw a last-minute celebration.” She reached out to touch my hand, but I stepped back, avoiding her touch. “A last-minute decision?” I pointed at the elaborate fondant cake. “Custom cakes like this take at least three days’ advance notice.” Abby’s hand stiffened in midair, her face darkening. “Jonah, don’t be so narrow-minded. Jasper just went through major surgery. We just wanted to make him happy.” My dad immediately stood up and walked over, his voice low and heavy with disapproval. “Jonah, why are you being so unreasonable? Jasper is Uncle Shen’s only son. Uncle Shen passed away early, so as his old friend, what’s wrong with me taking care of his boy?” Uncle Shen was my father’s first love back in his youth. And for the son of that first love, my dad was willing to use his own son’s anniversary as a token of favor. Gavin chimed in, “Yeah, Jonah, Abby wanted to go see you, but we dragged her here. Don’t throw a scene here, man. It’s embarrassing.” I looked at this group of people, my absolute closest inner circle. “Throw a scene?” I let out a dry laugh, my vision blurring from the fever. Abby sighed, her tone softening slightly. “Jasper has no family left, and his health is fragile. Everyone kept it from you because they knew you’d make a fuss, and no one wanted to ruin a nice meal.” Once again, I was the one who would make a fuss. The first time she stayed in Jasper’s hospital room until dawn, she said she was afraid I would make a fuss. The second time she abandoned me and our daughter at the amusement park, she said she was afraid I would make a fuss. The third time she ran off on my birthday night to pick Jasper up, she still said she was afraid I would make a fuss. As long as she labeled me a lunatic first, every single one of her betrayals and lies became an unavoidable necessity. “Jonah, be good,” she said, her voice gentle and coaxing as she reached out again. “We’ll make it up to you tomorrow. I’ll clear my entire schedule and give you the whole day.” Her tone sounded sweet, but I didn’t miss the faint trace of impatience lurking in her eyes. “Abby, let’s get a divorce.” The room fell dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Abby’s face finally cracked. “Jonah, what kind of madness is this now?” Jasper suddenly stood up, eyes red. “Jonah, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have let Abby stay with me. Please don’t divorce her because of me…” “You mean man!” Daisy suddenly stormed out like a little cannonball. She grabbed the slice of cake off the table and threw it right at my chest. The suit and hair I had carefully styled for our anniversary were instantly ruined. “You bully! Don’t you dare pick on Daddy Jasper!” Daisy spread her arms wide, shielding Jasper like I was her mortal enemy. “You’re just jealous of Daddy Jasper! You ruined our party! You’re a bad man!” Sticky cream dripped down my collar. I looked down at my ridiculous state, then up at my daughter’s hostile glare. It felt like the razor blades stuck in my throat had just been shoved straight into my heart, carving a bloody path all the way down. “Daisy, what did you just call him?” Abby didn’t even look at the mess on my clothes. She pulled Daisy behind her and held up the trembling, unsteady Jasper. “Jonah, why are you picking a fight with a child?” she snapped, disappointment cold in her voice. “Jasper isn’t fully recovered yet. Do you really have to trigger him right now?” I casually wiped the cream off my face. “Ms. Ruan.” “I’ll have my lawyer draft the divorce agreement and send it to your office. Please sign it when you have time.” Without another glance at them, I turned and walked out. “Jonah!” Footsteps hurried behind me. My sister Vivian and Gavin chased me down, blocking my path at the entrance. “Haven’t you had enough?” Vivian scolded. “Jasper is sick. Can’t you show a little compassion? Abby was just looking out for him, and you’re using divorce as a threat?” I yanked my arm back forcefully. “Does being sick give him the right to ruin someone else’s marriage? Vivian, whose sister are you anyway?” Gavin scoffed, stepping in front of my sister. “Jonah, I am sick of you playing the victim! Truth be told, when Abby had that miscarriage with your second child, it wasn’t because the fetus had a congenital defect at all!” My heart plummeted. I stared at Gavin in shock. Vivian’s expression changed, and she reached out to tug Gavin’s sleeve. “Gavin, stop…” “Let him speak,” I demanded, my voice raspy and broken. Gavin brushed Vivian’s hand away and laughed bitterly. “That baby was developing perfectly fine! But Jasper had just lost his ability to become a father due to his illness. If you and Abby had a second child right then, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the shock!” “So your sister, as an OB-GYN, deliberately tricked you both into believing the baby had severe birth defects and convinced Abby to terminate the pregnancy!” “Back then, you only got the chance to marry Abby because Jasper went abroad. But having one child wasn’t enough for you, was it? You wanted a second one! We were all just trying to protect Jasper! Why do you always have to be so selfish and compete with him for everything?” The buzzing of cicadas echoed endlessly in my ears. Gavin’s lips kept moving, but I couldn’t hear a single word after that. Five years ago, when Gavin was fired from his company, I begged Abby to find him a good position. He held my hands with tears in his eyes back then, swearing he would look out for Abby on my behalf. I looked at my sister’s guilty, avoiding eyes, and stomach acid surged up my throat. That was the child I had eagerly anticipated for three months. My baby. Her own flesh-and-blood nephew. After Abby’s miscarriage, I spent every day drowning in guilt and self-blame. She had held me gently, promising we would have other children. Turns out everyone knew the truth. Only I, like a total fool, wept for a child that had been murdered by my own family. A sudden gasp came from the private room. “Jasper fainted!” Abby rushed out carrying the unconscious Jasper, with Daisy following behind, crying hysterically. Vivian immediately hurried over to help Abby get Jasper into a car. When Abby ran past me, she didn’t even spare me a glance. Her shoulder shoved against my arm. Weak and dizzy from the high fever, I lost my balance and tumbled onto the scalding asphalt street. Beads of blood seeped from my scraped knees. Abby’s car sped away with a roar. A restaurant server came over to help me up. “Sir, you look like you have a severe fever! Do you need an ambulance?” I politely declined her kindness. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was the teacher from Daisy’s preschool. “Mr. Jonah, I’m so sorry to bother you this late. Daisy left her art portfolio in the classroom. Summer break starts tomorrow, so the school will be locked up. I tried calling her mother and her second emergency contact, Mr. Jasper, but neither picked up.” “So I had to call you, her third emergency contact. Are you free to pick it up tomorrow?” I froze, unable to process her words. “Ms. Harper, what did you just say? Which emergency contact am I?” “The third contact. Last month, Daisy’s mother came in and updated the forms. She made herself the first contact and Mr. Jasper the second.” “I thought… I thought you two were already divorced.” I stared at the blood dripping down my knees and let out a soft, bitter laugh. “I see. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.” That night, neither Abby nor Daisy came home. I stopped asking where they were. I quietly packed my things. After seven years of marriage, everything I owned couldn’t even fill a single suitcase. The next morning, I went to the preschool and opened Daisy’s art portfolio. On the first page was a drawing of a handsome man in a white shirt holding a little girl’s hand. Beside it, in clumsy handwriting, it read: Daddy Jasper is a prince. On the second page was a woman in a skirt and the man in the white shirt: Mommy and Daddy Jasper will be together forever. Every single page featured Jasper. Until the very last page. In the bottom corner was a dark figure with messy hair, wearing black clothes. His face was painted a terrifying green, holding a whip covered in thorns. Beside it was written: Go away, evil wizard. That was who I was in my daughter’s eyes. Leaving the preschool, I called my lawyer directly. “Mr. Bennett, is the divorce agreement ready?” “It’s ready, Mr. Jonah. But are you sure you want to give up custody of Daisy? If you fight for it, you have a very strong case.” “I’m not fighting for her.” I stood under the scorching sun, looking at the wilted leaves on the trees. “She already chose her father.” That afternoon, I took the printed divorce agreement to Abby’s firm. When I pushed open her office door, the room was full. Jasper sat beside Abby, his eyes shining as they discussed which monastery had the most effective protection medallions. Seeing me enter, my mother-in-law slammed her teacup onto the table. “You still have the nerve to show your face here? Jasper nearly had a heart attack last night because of your antics! How can you be so cruel?” “Abby works so hard every day, and you keep making a mess at home. If you just stayed in your lane, would Jasper be suffering like this?” Ignoring her accusations, I walked straight to Abby’s desk and placed the document before her. “Sign it.” Abby glanced at the words Divorce Agreement on the cover, and her expression instantly darkened. “Jonah, can you stop throwing tantrums? Jasper is still sick. Do you really have to ruin our family right now?” My dad rushed over and slapped me hard across the face. “Apologize to Jasper right now! Are you trying to drive him to death?” My cheek throbbed with a burning pain. I raised my head and stared silently at these people. My sister Vivian and my friend Gavin were carefully shielding Jasper. Daisy held Jasper’s hand, her face lit up with joy. “Daddy Jasper, if Mommy divorces him, can you be my real daddy?” Jasper looked panicked and quickly covered her mouth. I pulled at the corner of my mouth in a self-deprecating smile. “The terms are complete. You keep the child. I only want what is rightfully mine.” “Ms. Ruan, isn’t this the outcome you all wanted?” Abby’s pupils shrank violently. Jasper began to sob softly. “Abby, it’s all my fault. I’ll move out. Don’t be mad at Jonah…” Abby took a deep breath, suppressing the panic in her eyes. She picked up the agreement and let out a soft sigh. “Jonah, you know that with me, everything requires an equal exchange.” She pushed the agreement back to me, her eyes firm. “If you go to Pine Mountain Monastery in the next county right now and get a protection medallion for Jasper, I will sign this agreement immediately.” “However, to get a medallion from Pine Mountain, you have to kneel at every step and climb nine hundred and ninety-nine steps to the top. You’ve never been able to handle hardship. If you’re unwilling, then…” “Fine.” I cut her off. I put the agreement back into my bag and turned to leave. Abby froze. She clearly hadn’t expected me to agree so readily, bypassing the retreat she had so carefully left for herself. “Abby, let him go!” my dad’s voice boomed from behind. “He’s been spoiled his whole life. Let’s see how long he can keep up this act!” I didn’t turn back. I wasn’t going to get a protection medallion for Jasper. I was going to get a release for myself. Only when I brought back that medallion would Abby sign, allowing me to sever ties with all of them forever. Driving toward Pine Mountain, the sky grew darker as I approached the neighboring county. A red torrential rain warning popped up on my phone. I instinctively tightened my grip on the steering wheel. The fever seemed to surge back with a vengeance. Downpours sheeted the road, and the radio repeatedly warned of mudslides and hazardous driving conditions. There was no turning back. The monastery was on the mountain, and the winding road was slick with mud. Suddenly, an out-of-control semi-truck barreled out of the oncoming lane. Its blinding high beams blinded me. I swerved hard, and my car smashed violently into the guardrail. Everything turned crimson. Trapped by the airbag, I used my last ounce of strength to grope for my phone. A call from Daisy came in. “Daisy… call an ambulance for Daddy… I crashed…” Daisy’s impatient voice came through the speaker. “You’re lying again. Mommy was right, you’re just a bad man who loves making a scene!” “I didn’t call to check on you. I called to tell you that you better bring back that medallion so you can make room for Daddy Jasper faster!” Click. She hung up. The phone screen flickered twice and went completely black. As my consciousness drifted into darkness, I felt a strange sense of relief. In this world, no one was waiting for me to come home. Then let it end like this. Jasper had merely mentioned feeling a slight chest discomfort, and Abby had treated it like a major emergency, surrounding him like royalty as they rushed him into the examination room. Now, Abby stood in the hallway, staring anxiously at her phone, which kept indicating a failed connection. “Is Jonah’s phone still unreachable?” Vivian walked over, handing her a cup of coffee. “Jasper’s fine. The doctor said he just needs rest.” Abby shoved her phone into her pocket, her face cold. “Leave him be. When he thinks it through, he’ll come back on his own.” Just as she spoke, rushed footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway. Several paramedics sprinted past, pushing a gurney. The person on the gurney was covered in blood, an oxygen mask strapped over his face. Abby instinctively stepped aside to let them pass. As the gurney rushed past her, a drop of fresh blood splattered onto her shoe. Her phone rang again. She quickly checked it, but it wasn’t my call. It was a local hospital landline. “Hello, is this the family of Jonah?” “This is the ER at Central Hospital. Mr. Jonah was involved in a severe car accident and is currently in critical condition. Please come immediately to sign the consent forms.”

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